Incest, blah blah. Prompt response. Enjoy! Reviews are very appreciated. Co-written with askandiwilllie

2011

Regina had dreaded this conversation since the day she brought her baby home. Standing in the doorway of the dining room, she watched as he worked on his weekend homework. She took a sip of her tea and heaved a sigh, heading to the table to sit at the corner beside him. "Sweetheart, I need to talk to you about something," Regina started, running her fingers through his hair above his ear.

Henry looked up from his science book, automatically starting to doodle circles and spirals in the margins. "What is it, Mom?" he asked, frowning a little at how serious she looked. He was pretty sure she hadn't noticed the missing few cookies from the jar - he'd been very careful to put the lid back just right.

Giving him a soft smile, Regina covered his hand with hers. "I've waited until I thought you were old enough to tell this to you, because it's a big piece of news and it can change the way you think about things. It doesn't have to, and I hope it doesn't, because it never mattered to me, okay?"

Slight concern immediately turned to worry, and Henry's heart started to pound. "Are you sick?" he asked in a small voice, jumping straight to the worst case scenario he could imagine.

"No, sweetheart, nothing like that," she answered quickly. Taking a deep breath, she lowered her head a little, making herself eye-to-eye with her son. "Ten years ago, I started feeling lonely. I didn't have any family or really any friends, so I decided I wanted a baby. But it takes more than one person to make one, so I decided to look into adopting. Do you know what adoption is?"

Henry shook his head slightly, whispering, "No."

Struggling, she used the closest example she could think of for him to understand. "You know how sometimes people can't take care of their animals, so they take them to the shelter for other people to choose from them? And every once in a while, someone decides they want a dog or cat and they go to the shelter and pick one to take home?" Regina asked, stroking the back of his hand with her fingers.

Nodding slowly and seeing where this was going, Henry asked, "So… I had parents before you but they didn't want me?"

Regina smiled awkwardly and shook her head. "Not exactly. I'm not entirely sure of why you were put up for adoption, but a lot of times it's just because they think their baby would be better off with someone else. Maybe they can't take care of a child financially, or they're worried they wouldn't do a good job. The important part is for you to know that I wanted you. I chose to adopt you and bring you home and care for you."

"Why?" Henry turned his hand over and wrapped his fingers around Regina's, clinging to her as he tried to process what she was telling him. "Why… why did you want me?"

"They called me and told me there was a baby who needed a home, and I went to Boston immediately. I just wanted you, I can't explain it. The moment I saw you, I knew you were mine. My beautiful little prince," Regina answered easily. "You made my dream come true."

Henry chewed on his lips as he thought about that. Finally he asked, "Do you… think the people that gave me up would like you? Do you think they had a good reason for giving me away? Maybe… maybe I was a bad baby. Am I bad?"

Tilting her head, Regina bit the inside of her cheek while she went over all of his questions in her head. Finally, she started with the first. "I hope they would like me, but not everyone likes each other. I've tried to be a good mother, done everything I can do to make sure you have all that you want and need. I'm sure they had, what they believed, was a good reason. It was a closed adoption, though, so I don't know anything about them. But sweetheart, you are not bad. There is nothing about you that is bad. And… you were in the care of the state right when you were born, so they wouldn't have had you at all when you were a baby, so I know that they didn't give you up because they thought you were bad, sweetheart. It was probably about them, not you."

Another question weighed heavily on Henry as he listened to what his mother had to say, and he continued to chew on his lips anxiously.

"Henry, do you have anything you want to ask me?" she asked, squeezing his hand reassuringly. "You know you can always talk to me about anything, especially this, okay?"

Henry took a deep breath, looking down at his science book, but not focusing on the words on the page. "Would… would you ever… give me away?"

"Oh, my darling," Regina started, moving out of her seat to kneel on the floor beside him. Cupping his face, she looked him in the eyes and spoke again. "I would never give you away in a million years, not for anything. You're my little prince, my favorite person in all the realms."

Giving her a smile that was wobbly but genuine, Henry threw his arms around Regina's neck, hugging her tightly. "I love you, Mom," he murmured into her neck. "More than anyone in all the realms." He didn't quite know what 'all the realms' meant, but it sounded like a lot, and his mom said it all the time, so he was pretty sure it fit.

Hugging him tightly to her, Regina kissed the side of Henry's head and carded her fingers through his hair. "I love you too, sweetheart."

2013

Henry slammed the door behind himself as he entered the house, kicking his shoes off in the direction of the wall, one hitting with a loud thud, and throwing his backpack down.

Hearing a commotion as Henry entered the house, Regina left the kitchen and headed into the foyer. "Henry… is something wrong? You know we've discussed slamming doors," she scolded, folding her arms over her chest.

"What's going on with this stupid town?" Henry yelled, stomping over to the stairs and plopping down gracelessly on the second step.

Regina moved to sit on the step beside him, facing her son as much as she could. "What do you mean, sweetheart? Did something happen?"

"None of my friends are in my class this year! Just like the year before. I'm the only person who goes to the next grade. And all my friends from last year, they're all different with me. Like I'm older than them."

Regina gave a surprised gasp, a concerned scowl on her face. She pursed her lips, quickly changing her expression into something less surprised and more open for conversation. Running through the possible lies she could offer, Regina dropped her head into her hand and sighed. She couldn't lie to him, he was smart, too smart for his own good, and she didn't want him to hate her when he would inevitably find out the truth. "We… should probably talk about our town, about how it's different than other places," Regina relented, she knew she would likely regret this, but she also knew she couldn't hide it much longer. "But it's probably going to take a while, so why don't we go get a snack and sit in the living room?"

"'Kay," Henry muttered, standing up. He followed Regina into the kitchen, and once they had a small plate of fruit and vegetables with dip, they sat on the living room couch, Henry cross-legged facing her, and Regina with one leg curled up to face him in return. "So what's going on?" Henry asked as he chewed on a carrot stick. "You know why every day is the same, don't you?"

"I do," she answered, giving a reluctant nod. "I wasn't sure when to tell you this, and it's going to be really hard to understand, but it's a big secret to keep. I don't want to put too much pressure on you to keep it, but nobody in this town will understand if you try to tell anyone."

"Did something bad happen?" Henry asked, frowning.

Regina furrowed her brow and pursed her lips while she considered her words. "It could be considered bad to some people, yes. You know those stories you liked as a little boy? Like, Cinderella, and Little Red Riding Hood, and Snow White?" she asked, pouring too much venom into the last two words than probably necessary.

Henry's eyebrow twitched up in an eerie mirror of his mother's own expectant expression. "Yeah, but what do fairytales have to do with Storybrooke?"

"It's rather strange to consider, but those stories… they were all based on a real place, it's a different realm. In a… almost another world that exists parallel to ours. I know this sounds made up," Regina explained, twisting her lips to the side before she finished. "But those characters in those stories are here, in Storybrooke."

"Like in Star Trek or X-Men?" Henry asked, tilting his head. It was crazy, but then again, what could explain why none of his friends got older?

"Sort of, yes. Only, well, we're here and not there anymore, so it isn't like this is a different reality for us," Regina answered thoughtfully. "We were all brought here from a land we called The Enchanted Forest."

"I'm not sure if that sounds like a really cool place or a really lame place," Henry admitted. "So… how did you get here?"

Sucking in a sharp breath, Regina grimaced and narrowed her eyes in thought. "This is the part that I worry will upset you. Can you promise me you'll keep an open mind?"

Henry squinted at her, and slowly answered, "I can promise I'll try?"

"That's all I can ask for, sweetheart." Pausing, Regina rested her hand on Henry's arm for a moment, squeezing him gently and enjoying the moment before she revealed the monster she had been. "In the Enchanted Forest, I was a queen. The… Evil Queen," she said slowly. "I was unhappy, and I was told that the only place I could have my happy ending was in a land without magic. I was the person who brought us all to this world."

"Well… why didn't you just come here yourself?" Henry asked, confused.

"There was no way to. Not that I knew of. And…" Regina couldn't decide if she should tell him exactly why, but she also knew that if she didn't, he would somehow find out and it would only hurt her in the end anyway. "I wanted them to be unhappy. I was miserable for so long and I just wanted people to feel my pain. It wasn't right, I know that. But it was what I felt."

"Hurting people hurt others," Henry murmured. "Dr. Hopper told me that, when I was seeing him after you told me I was adopted. Are you the only one who remembers?"

"I think that maybe Mr. Gold does, but I don't have any proof. But yes, I was hurting and I wanted everyone to hurt with me. Actually, I wanted to be the only one not hurting while they all hurt," Regina admitted in a whisper.

"Did it work? Did you stop hurting?"

"Not right away. It took a long time, but eventually, yes," she said, reaching for a piece of celery so she could keep her hands busy.

Henry thought about that for a long moment as he ate his snack, before finally pointing out, "You know, most people here don't seem all that unhappy. If you really wanted their lives to suck, you kinda didn't do a very good job."

Stifling a laugh, Regina pressed her lips together in an attempt to also hold back her smirk. She was unsuccessful, but she offered an explanation. "Well, they don't know who they are, so no, they're not unhappy. But, if they remembered, they would all hold much hate for me."

"Well assuming that your Enchanted Forest isn't all that different from the setting in fairytales, that means it's like, medieval times. So… to try and make them miserable, you brought them to a place with indoor plumbing, advanced medical care, and electricity?" Henry asked skeptically. "I mean, sure, the fact that it's Maine is a drawback… the Bahamas would totally have been a better choice, but all things considered… yeah, you totally failed, Mom. Sorry."

Letting that chuckle finally release, Regina nodded. "Fine, I will agree that all those things were beneficial. However, sweetheart... I ripped them away from their families, from the people they loved."

"But… they're still all here, right? And they don't even remember it, anyway. And obviously nobody's aging, right? So isn't it more like you just suspended time?" Henry argued. "I mean, if they did remember who they were, they could just find their families, no problem, right? It's not like you can miss someone if you don't even remember them."

"Right," Regina answered. Relief flooded her body that he seemed so accepting of her part in the curse. "Doesn't it upset you, who I was?"

"No," Henry answered slowly. "It's not who you are now. I mean, you're just my mom. Well, and the mayor, but to me you're just Mom. Just… you said you were the Evil Queen, that's from Snow White… tell me you didn't actually want to eat her heart, like in the Brothers Grimm story." His expression twisted in distaste.

"No, I didn't want to eat her heart." Regina tossed the uneaten celery stick in her hand at her son playfully.

Henry chuckled and caught the celery, taking a bite from one end. "So, why did you want her heart, then?" He paused, his eyes wide. "Wait, it wasn't some, like… metaphorical lesbian thing, right?"

"I don't know what that means, and I'm certain I don't want my twelve year old telling me. I wanted it for... my collection," Regina said, bowing her head in wait for his response.

"Collection? Of… hearts? Like, Queen of Hearts style? Wait no, that's not a fairytale."

"Well, sort of that way. Wonderland is a realm, though. And... well, the Queen of Hearts was my mother," Regina said, then nodded. "I had a collection of hearts, yes."

"Why?"

"Because when people hurt me, or failed me, or when I wanted to control them, I took their heart. I don't have a good reason," she admitted. "It was what I was taught to do."

"Who taught you? And do you still have the hearts?" Henry grabbed a strawberry from the plate, both confused and fascinated by what he was being told.

"Well, I do still have them, yes. But... Henry, that's not something I want you to see. And... Mr. Gold taught me."

Henry shook his head, agreeing, "No, I don't want to see them. But I was thinking, y'know, maybe you could put them back. Is it possible to put them back? And who's Mr. Gold that he taught you? And what made him hurt so much that he'd teach you that?"

Regina stretched her arm across the back of the couch, leaning further into it and considered his questions, the first he'd had that she didn't really have answers for. "I... suppose I could put some of them back, but I don't necessarily know who they all belong to anymore. And Mr. Gold was Rumplestiltskin. But I don't know what caused him to hurt so much."

"Well, put back the ones you do know," Henry said, shrugging. The answer was clear in his mind. "And maybe Mr. Gold could help you with the other ones? Dr. Hopper says that when we hurt someone, we need to make an effort to make it better. I think you should do that. I mean, if you can't do it for everyone, that's not your fault, but you should do what you can. You… are sorry for it, right? You don't still want them to hurt?"

Tilting her head, Regina gave a short hum and said, "Okay. I will put back the hearts I know, but Mr. Gold won't help, he won't admit who he really is. I suppose I'm a little sorry, but not really, at least not about the curse."

"Curse?" Henry frowned. "You didn't say it was a curse, just that you brought everyone here. What kind of curse? And why aren't you sorry about it?"

Eyes widening at the realization that she had not, in fact, used that particular word, Regina scrunched her eyebrows together and thought on how to answer him. "Well, sweetheart, it's called 'the dark curse' and it just means that the state of Storybrooke will never change unless someone breaks the curse, specifically the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming." She then reached over to rest her hand on his, squeezing his fingers before speaking again. "Casting the curse brought me here and if I hadn't been here, I wouldn't have been able to adopt you. To me, you're the most important person in all the realms. I couldn't ever feel sorry about being able to bring you home."

"So that's what that means," Henry grinned and turned his hand beneath hers to squeeze her fingers back. "So who's the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming? Uh, and who are Snow White and Prince Charming?"

"I don't know who their daughter is, she was sent away before the curse was cast." Regina sighed lightly, she didn't want to discuss Snow White. "Your teacher, when you were younger, Miss Blanchard, she's Snow White. And Prince Charming is a coma patient at the hospital."

"Hm," Henry hummed. "Well that explains Miss Blanchard's thing about birds. When is their daughter supposed to break the curse?"

Thinking over how many years had passed, (because really, until she got Henry they all meshed together) Regina said, "Um, well, two years ago."

Henry's brow furrowed. "Two years ago? Why didn't she? What happens now that she didn't break it? Does Storybrooke stay the same forever and ever?" He paused, and his shoulders hunched in a little, his voice lower as he asked, "What happens to me?"

"I assume she didn't have the guidance necessary to know to break the curse, though I'm not really certain." Regina considered the terms of the curse, realizing they hadn't been particularly clear. "I don't know if Storybrooke stays the same, but I think so. And as for you... well, you can leave, when you're an adult, if you'd like. That way you can go be happy, go to college, maybe find someone to love and have a family with." The thought saddened her, but she wanted him to be happy.

Frowning deeply, Henry looked up at his mother. "But what about you? I don't wanna leave you, I love you."

Smiling at his words, Regina cupped his cheek and leaned in to kiss his forehead. "I love you too, sweetheart. Why don't we just say, for now, that you can leave when you're old enough, and if you decide to stay, then we'll be together here. You might not always like it here, you were upset about it today."

"Yeah but I didn't know what was going on," Henry argued. "I mean… it sucks that I don't really get to stay friends with my friends, but it's kinda like moving, right? I get to make new friends. Plus," he gave a sly grin, "it's like we have our own secret, just the two of us, that nobody else gets to know about. Like we're spies."

Regina chuckled and nodded easily, relieved that he was taking all of the truth so well. "Yes, our own little secret world."

2024

Henry twisted his coffee cup around in circles as they waited for their order. "You know the drawback to Storybrooke?" he asked rhetorically. "There aren't any jobs. What good is having a degree if I can't do anything with it?"

Regina nodded, biting her lip and picking up her cup of coffee to take a sip. "Well, I can fire someone to give you a job," she teased. "But really, it doesn't matter. You don't need a job, unless you're looking for a way to fill your days. You could write a book. Or do online journalism?"

"I would be totally cool with you firing Mr. Glass and kicking him across the town line." Henry made a face at the thought of the sycophantic newspaperman. "He's creepy and I don't like the way he fawns all over you. And I know I don't need a job, but I'd like to feel useful."

Ruby approached the table with their orders, and, overhearing the conversation, put in her two cents. "Not happy just chillin' with your sugar mama anymore, Henry?" She winked at the young man, making him blush.

"Excuse me?" Regina snapped. "His what?"

"No offense, Madam Mayor," Ruby quickly backpedalled, eyes widening. "But it's what everyone is saying. I mean, you have an attractive young man living with you, you pay for all his things… it's pretty obvious what the deal is."

Henry slunk deeper into his seat, wishing to disappear. And this, he sighed to himself, was why it sucked to live in a town where he was the only person who aged.

Plastering on a fake smile, Regina said, "It would do you well not to gossip, dear. It is no one's business who Henry is to me, and you will keep that in mind if you know what's good for you."

Ruby nodded quickly. "Of course, Madam Mayor. Sorry."

Just as Ruby started to hurry away, Henry spoke, smirking. "God, that's hot when you're possessive, Regina." He caught the waitress turning back with wide eyes, and his shoulders shook with restrained laughter.

Flabbergasted, Regina shook her head and stared at Henry for a long moment before speaking. "Henry! What… why would say that?"

"Sorry," Henry chuckled. "I couldn't resist. I mean, did you see the look on her face? That was priceless!"

"Yes, I saw the look. And maybe it was worth it," she relented with a small smirk, before she frowned. "You just gave her reason to believe that… rumor."

"Yeah, I know," Henry sighed, taking a drink of his coffee before popping a fry into his mouth. "It's just… we need to think of something, obviously I'm too old to be your kid anymore. So what's the next step?"

Contemplating for a moment, Regina jerked one shoulder in a half-hearted shrug and said, "Younger brother? Cousin? I'm not sure what else would be believable."

"That's not implication of a sexual relationship, you mean?" Henry asked. "I still think it's funny. And hey, kind of fitting, too, in a way. Mom to sugar mama, son to sugar baby… sorta fits."

Regina scowled at him. "Please don't call yourself my sugar baby, that's… weird. There is no other way I can describe that. But I suppose we should figure out a way to change how people see our relationship."

Henry shrugged a little. "Yeah, I guess. I'm not really sure it matters, though. I mean, unless you're worried that the sheriff might get jealous."

Opening her mouth to speak, Regina immediately snapped it shut when she realized they'd never talked about Graham before. Not in the context of her sleeping with him anyway. "I… am not so concerned about what Graham thinks. I mean, I care for him but it's nothing serious," Regina countered, unsure why she felt the need to in the first place.

"Good," Henry muttered under it breath, shoving a fry into his puddle of ketchup with more force than necessary.

"Good?" she asked. "Why is that good?" Pushing her green beans around on her plate with her fork, Regina raised an eyebrow and waited for his answer.

"He's not good enough for you." Henry took a bite of his burger and once he'd swallowed, added, "He doesn't even know you. Not really."

"Well, it's hard to break a habit that's been around for over four decades," Regina answered absentmindedly. "Not that you really needed to know that." Sighing, she looked at him carefully before speaking again. "Sweetheart, that's not what matters. There's not really anyone in this town I have a decent enough relationship with for anything romantic."

"You have me," Henry blurted out, the words escaping before he could think them through.

"I don't want to discuss this here, okay?" Regina told him sternly. "It's a strange enough topic to even consider as it is, I'm not doing it in public."

Henry's gaze shot up at the word 'consider' and he looked at her with something akin to wonder. "So… when you get home from work? I can pick up dinner and we can talk?"

"Fine." She knew she sounded reluctant, but it wasn't something she really wanted to think about. The curse was accommodating his age, though, and Regina would need some way for the people of Storybrooke to see him. So she nodded and repeated, "Fine. Tonight we will discuss how people will consider you."

It wasn't quite as promising as her earlier comment, but Henry still nodded. "Okay. Cool."

Regina spent the rest of her day considering Ruby's words. Then Henry's. Then his… request. It was a strange thought, allowing the people in town to believe her son to be her lover, boyfriend, partner… whatever. But Henry had almost made it sound like something he was interested in, and not just pretending, he seemed genuinely interested in acting on it and that made her consider the situation carefully.

When she arrived home, Henry was already there and in the dining room, setting the table for dinner. Regina walked up the short flight of stairs out of the foyer and moved into the dining room to look over the place settings. "Wine glasses?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Guy at the liquor store smirked at me when I got the wine," Henry rolled his eyes. "People in this town really need more to do. But, I got chicken parmesan for dinner, and you can't have that without wine, right?"

Smirking and raising an eyebrow, Regina answered, "No, just simply can't have that. At least you picked out a decent one." She examined the label, then nodded. "Thank you for picking up dinner."

Henry smiled and kissed Regina's cheek as he passed her to head into the kitchen. "No problem." Coming out a minute later with their plates, he set them down at the place settings. "You have good timing, I just got home, so it's still hot, no reheating necessary."

"Eager are we?" she asked. Regina walked to her normal seat, pulling out the chair and sitting down while she watched him move around. Doing her best not to fidget, she pulled the napkin into her lap and smoothed it over her dress.

"Well we do have a conversation to get to," Henry pointed out, sitting in his chair, to the right of her place at the head of the table. He reached for the wine bottle and poured both of their glasses.

"Yes, I suppose we do." Regina picked up her glass of wine, taking a healthy sip of it as she considered her words. "What exactly are you wanting from this conversation, Henry?"

Henry shifted his gaze to his plate, intently mixing the pasta and sauce. "I guess that depends on what's offered in this conversation," he hedged.

"Well, for now I am offering you a chance to voice what you would like the people of Storybrooke to think of you as. In relation to me, obviously." Regina picked up her fork and copied his motions, mixing together the contents of her plate.

"I don't really see a point in trying to change what they think," Henry answered slowly. "I mean, how can we fight against the curse, right?"

"You want them to think of you as a kept man?" she countered, taking a bite of her pasta.

Henry shrugged. "It's just another way of being yours, right?"

"Yes, that's true," she agreed. "But does that mean you're asking for me to make it true? Or just to allow the town to believe it is?"

Taking a sip of wine to fortify himself, Henry looked at Regina and quietly said, "I'm not going to ask for anything that will make you uncomfortable."

"But?"

"But it's getting harder to see you as my mom when you're not getting any older and when nobody in town remembers me that way."

Sipping from her wine, Regina nodded slowly. "I can understand that. But that's quite a dramatic shift, going from being your mother, and having very strong memories of doing so, to being a romantic partner for you."

"True," Henry acknowledged. "Was there ever anything like this in the Enchanted Forest?"

"Not between a child and their parent, that I knew of anyway." Regina sighed softly, leaning back in her chair as she watched him. "Sweetheart, is this something you've thought of before today?"

Henry shrugged and avoided answering by having another few bites of his dinner. Finally he said, "Maybe. But not, like… in a way that I ever thought it might actually… be a thing."

"Then in what way? I'm not sure I'm clear on what you mean," she asked, taking a bite of her own.

"Like…" Henry frowned, trying to figure out how to explain what he meant. "You're a beautiful woman. And I love you. And you love me. And nobody can understand me like you do, because nobody remembers me like you do. And nobody can understand you like I do, because nobody else knows who you were and what you've gone through. So… yeah, I thought about it. But I never thought we'd actually have this conversation."

"Okay. So tell me this," Regina started, pausing to sip her wine. "You can imagine having an intimate relationship with the woman who changed all of your diapers? Cured your diaper rash? Soothed every illness you experienced?"

"Why not?" Henry shrugged, taking a mouthful of his wine as well. "It's not terribly uncommon, even here. Taboo, sure, but not unheard of."

"Say this is something I'll consider, how would you want to start it? What would your desires be?" Regina took another bite of her food, hoping it would help steel any possible reaction she might have.

"I'd like to kiss you. Hold you when we watch movies." Henry used his fork to mindlessly play with his food. "Anything else… would be great, but not something I would push for." Then his expression darkened slightly and he added, "But you'd have to end it with the sheriff."

"How many people have you slept with?" she asked curiously, avoiding the conversation about Graham for the moment.

"Why does that matter?" Henry asked, confused.

"I'm curious. We're talking about a potential relationship, I think it's fair to ask." Tipping her wine glass to take another sip, Regina realized her glass was empty and picked up the bottle to pour another glass.

Henry nodded slightly, seeing her point. "Four. Two girls and a guy when I was away, and there's a girl here that I meet up with sometimes." His eyebrow quirked up. "You?"

Twisting her lips, Regina shook her head slightly. "I don't know."

"Huh." Henry wasn't quite expecting that, but he forged on. "Have you ever slept with another woman?"

"A few. Did you enjoy sleeping with another man as much as women?" she countered easily, more out of simple curiosity than anything else.

Shrugging, Henry took another bite of his food, surprised at how not-awkward the conversation was. "Not really. It was okay… it felt good, but it was kind of weird."

"Weird? How do you mean?" Regina took another bite of her own food, chewing deliberately and swallowing before she realized she was getting full.

"He wasn't soft enough. I like how women are soft. Curves, smooth skin. He was hard - uh, no pun intended - and kinda hairy." Henry colored a bit at his confession, then asked, "Did you like sleeping with women as much as men?"

Considering her answer, Regina gave a small nod. "Most times. Sometimes I prefer... more."

"What do you mean, more? Like, sometimes you prefer women over men?"

Regina licked her lips and smirked. "No. No, sometimes I prefer thicker, longer, more powerful penetration than can be offered by ones fingers," she said, gauging his reaction.

About to take a sip of wine, Henry inhaled sharply, drawing the liquid into his lungs and choking on it, sending him into a coughing fit.

Standing, Regina pulled one of his arms up over his head and waited for his coughing to subside. "Are you alright, Henry?"

"Yeah," he croaked out, breathing deeply once he was able. "That was mean." Mean, perhaps, but the tightening of his pants proved that he didn't mind that much.

"You asked," she reasoned, returning to her seat. "But I do agree with you. The softness women have is quite appealing."

Clearing his throat a couple times, Henry finally took his drink of wine - bigger than he'd originally intended, both to soothe his throat and to fortify himself. "Have you ever been with more than one person at a time?"

"No. I rather enjoy having all of someone's efforts when I'm with them." Pushing the wine bottle closer to him, in case he decided to top his off, Regina said, "And have you?"

"Once," Henry nodded, taking the bottle and refilling his glass.

"Enjoyable?" She sipped from her wine again, finding that the conversation was running better than she'd expected.

Henry coughed again, feeling his face heat and his ears burn. "Very."

"Guy and girl, or two girls?" Regina asked, uncertain why she cared about that detail.

"Two girls, but…" Henry scratched the back of his neck, noting the heat radiating from his skin. "One of them was… wearing a, uh, a strap-on."

"Do tell." She stood, pouring a little more wine and jutting her chin toward the front room. "Shall we continue this elsewhere?"

Henry nodded. "Sure. I'll take care of the dishes later. After you?" He stayed seated as he motioned Regina toward the doorway.

Turning, Regina walked away, heading to the couch in the front room and sitting down.

Once Regina was turned away, Henry stood, taking a moment to adjust himself in his pants, hoping to somewhat disguise his physical reaction to the conversation. Then he picked up his glass and followed, sitting on the couch next to her.

"Tell me about your threesome, I'm curious as to how it worked for you," Regina requested, twirling the stem of her wineglass.

"Uh, well, it was when I was at college, obviously." Henry cleared his throat, thinking back on it. A small smile curled his lips. "There were these two girls, and they suggested it. One of them, Dana, she had the strap-on. When it started, it was just the two of them, and I was watching. Then Dana said she wanted me to, uh, fuck her while she was fucking Jen. Then after that, she used it on me while Jen… uh, sat on my face." Shifting a little uncomfortably, Henry tried to rest his arm casually across his lap to hide his increasing erection.

"Do you like that?" she asked, eyes wide with genuine curiosity. "Being fucked by a cock?"

Henry let out a strangled sound and nodded, shifting again.

Humming, Regina asked, "Does it make you nervous that I don't know how many people I've been with?"

"Uh, only if they've got the clap in the Enchanted Forest?" Henry chuckled half-heartedly. He didn't add that he would be totally willing to deal with that, if he just had the chance…

Narrowing her eyes, Regina scowled at him. "I don't have any diseases, Henry. That was very eloquent of you, by the way," she snarled.

"Sorry," Henry said sheepishly. "But really, what other reason would there be for it to bother me?"

"I don't know. Some men may find it intimidating," she mused, biting her bottom lip. "Do you have any other questions to ask?"

"Does it bother you that this conversation has given me a raging boner?"

"The purpose of this entire conversation was to make me see you as a sexual being instead of just my son. Rather, to see if I could, so no."

"I'd say the conversation was a success, then, wouldn't you?" Henry moved his arm back so he was no longer covering the bulge in his pants.

Noticing the bulge in his pants, Regina gave a quick nod. "You'll have to kiss me first so I can see if I'll be able to get past the thought of kissing my son."

Henry shifted closer on the couch and took Regina's wine glass from her, setting both of them on the coffee table before cupping her face in his hands. "I think I can do that," he murmured, drawing her to him and carefully claiming her lips with his own.

Regina relaxed into the kiss immediately, her lips parting and moving with Henry's. One of her hands slid into his hair, fingernails scratching at his scalp. The other landed on his thigh, halfway up, and she left it to rest there.

Humming into her mouth, Henry let his tongue slide forward, flicking against her upper lip, then seeking out her own tongue. One hand moved from her face to wrap around her upper back, drawing her closer to him.

As Regina met his tongue with her own, she considered, in surprise, how talented he was at kissing. She let her hand slide higher on his thigh, so close to where he was hard and ready and waiting.

Moving his other hand down from her face, Henry let it rest against the side of her ribcage, his thumb just brushing the underside of one breast.

The kiss was heady, fogging Regina's mind even as she tried to root herself to the ground. Arching her back into his touch, she hoped he took the hint that she was fine with him touching.

Henry slid his hand higher at the encouragement, cupping her breast and groaning. Trailing his mouth across her jaw to her ear, he whispered, "You feel so good."

Regina let out a thick moan, her own hand moving closer to his body, awkwardly cupping him through his jeans. Turning her head so they were cheek to cheek and lips to ears, she whimpered slightly, saying, "I think I can give up Graham."

"Good," Henry growled, nipping at her ear. "Once I have you, I'm not going to share you."

Giving a light squeeze to his erection, Regina leaned back, looking into his eyes. "I think we should take this upstairs."

"Yes," Henry agreed, his voice tight. Standing up, he pulled Regina with him, drawing her against his body and letting his hands roam over her curves. "You're so damn hot."

"Shush. Take me upstairs, Henry," she whispered, her voice thick with arousal. Regina caught one of his hands in hers, turning and pulling him with her toward the staircase.

Henry let her lead him to the bedroom before he pushed her back into the bed, leaning over her and catching her lips with his again, biting at the lower one as one hand found her breast again.

Moaning, Regina flicked her tongue out at his upper lip in an attempt to deepen the kiss. Her hands gripped at his shirt, tugging him, wanting him closer.

Sliding his hands under her back, Henry grabbed the zipper of her dress, dragging it down and leaning back to pull the dress off. "Fuck," he hissed, his gaze roaming over her body, covered only by lacy scraps of plum-colored lingerie. "Do you usually wear stuff like this?"

"Most days," she whispered, her voice thick and low. Nimble fingers worked at unbuttoning his shirt, shoving it off his shoulders when it was completely undone. Regina then tugged up his undershirt, revealing lean muscles under fair skin.

Henry shucked his shirts quickly, and yanked open the fly of his jeans, stepping out of them and leaving himself in only his boxers, impressively tented. Leaning over her again, Henry parted his lips and dragged his tongue up the center line of Regina's torso, ending when he met the lace of her bra, which he bit, the edges of his teeth scraping against her skin.

"Fuck," she moaned, back arching off the bed. Regina slid her hands over his shoulders, scratching lightly at his skin. Moving one leg up, she ran her foot along his calf, moving her hips up in search for friction.

Pressing his hips down to meet hers, Henry groaned at the heat that met him. "So fucking sexy," he growled, finding the clasp of her bra and undoing it, discarding the scrap of fabric. He swore again at the sight of her bared breasts, and cupped them in his hands, immediately closing his mouth around one pert nipple.

Humming, Regina whispered, "That's good, more though, I need more." One hand moved to the back of his head, holding him there, tugging at his hair, the other scratching at his back as she leaned up into him.

"Are you wet for me?" Henry murmured, lifting his head as he slid one hand down from her breast, his fingertips just brushing the waistband of her panties.

"Care to find out?" she answered, nearly whimpering the words. Regina tried to convince herself to stop, tried to remind herself this was wrong, he's her son, but all attempts were weak while he touched her. His hands were strong, skilled.

Taking the invitation, Henry slipped his fingers under the band and moved lower, cupping her sex with his hand. With one finger, he parted her folds, dipping into liquid heat. "So wet," he groaned, bringing his head down to claim her mouth roughly as he pushed his finger into her.

Regina moaned into his mouth, sliding her tongue out to meet his. Moving one hand between their bodies, she gripped his hardness through his boxers, squeezing him, moaning again at his size.

Henry's hips jerked into the touch, and he bit her lip again, asking, "Feel something you like?"

"I'm quite certain I can work with it," she teased, bending her neck and sucking his pulse point. Regina squeezed him again, then pulled her hand away only to push beneath the band of the fabric, fingers finding him without the barrier.

Moaning, Henry pressed a second finger into her and curled them, searching for the spot that would reduce her to incoherence.

Regina groaned, needy and wanting. She rolled her hips down on his fingers and used her free hand to shove his boxers down off his hips. Whimpering, she kissed up his jaw back to his mouth and barely managed to whisper, "Fuck me."

Pulling his fingers out of her, Henry grabbed the sides of her panties and yanked them down, his hands sliding up the insides of her thighs as he moved back between them. "I'm gonna fuck you," he breathed against her ear, "better than Graham ever did." Then, taking his erection in one hand, he pressed into her, groaning at the tightness that surrounded him.

"Oh Henry," Regina moaned out, biting her lip. Rolling her hips into his, she pulled his mouth to hers, sucking his bottom lip between hers.

"You're so tight," Henry panted, not quite as prepared for the sensation of her as he thought he was, given that she'd been having regular sex with a man for forty years.

She directed his mouth to her neck, covering one of her own breasts with her hand, rolling her nipple. "So tight, and hot and wet for you," Regina murmured, "now show me what you can do."

Sucking at her neck just below her ear, Henry began to move against her, rolling his hips as much as thrusting them.

Regina met every thrust fervently. She tugged his hair and moved her other hand to his ass, pulling him closer, nails biting into his flesh.

Henry groaned, his hips jerking at the sharp pain of her nails, and he made his movements stronger, pounding into her and biting at her neck where he'd been sucking, bringing blood to the surface in a bright mark, unabashedly claiming her as his.

"Yes," she moaned loudly. "Just like that." Regina pulled his head back, exposing his neck and claiming him the way he'd just done to her. She bit the skin, then sucked hard, flicking her tongue against him as she did, tasting him.

"Fuck," Henry breathed, holding himself up with one arm while the other slid between them, fingers finding Regina's clit, hard and slick with her arousal.

Muttering out a string of curses, Regina squeezed his hips between her thighs, rocking into his touch. "Yes, fuck me harder." She rolled her head into her pillow, her body arching, needing more of him everywhere.

Henry obliged, panting as he fucked her hard and fast, his own pleasure rising to the breaking point, making him tense to try and hold back.

She was close, too close too soon, but all the stimulation was cartwheeling her forward. Muttering to Henry that she was close, Regina started rolling her own nipple once more.

"Yes, come for me," Henry groaned, dipping his head forward again to catch her other nipple, sucking and flicking his tongue against it as he worked her clit with his other hand.

Regina cried out loud, incoherent syllables as she felt herself releasing. Her body tensed, tightening all her muscles as she rocked her hips in erratic jerks.

Henry was just able to hold out long enough to feel Regina tighten and spasm around him before he let go as well, spilling into her with a long groan.

Once she knew Henry had finished, she let her body relax into the bed, pulling him down with her. Sighing, Regina tried desperately to catch her breath.

Humming, Henry nuzzled against her neck, pressing open-mouthed kisses against the delicate skin as he, too, tried to bring his breathing back to normal. "That was… incredible," he murmured.

"Quite so," Regina agreed, nodding against him. "So eager to please. I like that," she teased, scratching the back of his head affectionately.

Henry chuckled, lifting his head to kiss her lightly. "I can't imagine anyone not being eager to please you. You're so responsive."

"If you knew how I spent my first several years of sex, you'd understand why I'm so responsive," she told him. Regina shifted a little, moving out from under his weight just enough to breathe better.

Shifting as well, so he was more to her side, with his arm and leg across her body, Henry hummed. "That doesn't sound encouraging. But you have me now, and I'll be ready to fuck you senseless, or make love to you, whenever you want."

"It wasn't meant to discourage you, sweetheart. You were very enjoyable." Leaning into him, she kissed him softly.

Henry chuckled into the kiss and shook his head slightly. "That's not what I meant," he corrected. "I meant that it doesn't sound like your first several years of sex were encouraging."

"Ah, no. Well, I was sleeping with a king who was two and a half times my age and who I didn't want in the least." Shrugging, Regina squeezed him lightly. "But that doesn't matter anymore."

Smirking, Henry pointed out, "I'm sleeping with a queen who's two and a half times my age."

Regina gave him an amused glare. "I do believe this was your idea. Did you want it to stop so soon?"

"Hell no." He tightened his hold on her, drawing her as close to him as possible. "You're stuck with me now."

"Well, seeing as I'm barely ten years older than you, physically, it'll do you well not to make fun of my age again," Regina teased, pressing a kiss to his jaw.

"Yes, ma'am," Henry teased, turning his head to meet her lips with his.

Humming into the kiss, Regina smirked against his mouth and pulled away. "You're very good at that. Which begs another question. Who was the girl here in Storybrooke?"

"Good at what?" Henry asked, temporarily avoiding the question.

"At the moment, I was talking about your kissing ability. Graham was too wet," she offered, teasing him with the sheriff's name.

Henry made a face. "There are two things wrong with that sentence. First, wet kisses are gross. And second, you can stop talking about your sexual history with the sheriff any time."

"Mm, then let's finish discussing yours." Regina leaned up and kissed him again gently, but pulled away before too long, raising an eyebrow to prompt him for an answer.

"Ruby," Henry admitted, not too sure how Regina would take that.

"Seriously? Ruby? As in, the wolf girl?" Rolling her eyes, she muttered, "That's disgusting."

Henry snorted. "First of all, she's not a wolf here, and secondly, wasn't Graham the Huntsman? The guy literally raised by wolves?"

Regina hummed in amusement. "Yes, and he fucked like it, too."

Henry growled and shifted on top of Regina again, pressing her body into the mattress. Nipping at her jaw, and muttered darkly, "Do I have to fuck you again already to make you forget about him?"

"You will have plenty of time for that. Though, I do have one more question about Ruby, if I may?"

Propping himself up on his elbows, Henry looked down at her. "Yeah?"

"Was it before or after she started to believe I'm your 'sugar mama?'" Regina smoothed her hands down his back to his ass, squeezing possessives.

Snickering, Henry countered with, "What would you prefer, that she fucked your son, or your lover?"

"Neither, to be honest. Her consequence will be different depending on which it was though."

"Possessive. I like it." He kissed her again, before answering, "Before. The sugar mama thing is new; it took me by surprise, too."

Regina smirked and kissed the mark she'd left on his neck. "This may very well be a strange situation, but I think I may like how it's working itself out."

"Good," Henry replied happily, shifting to one side again and running his fingers up and down Regina's chest. "Because now that I have you, I'm not giving you up for anything."

Smiling softly, she whispered, "I love you, my prince."

"I love you, too," Henry murmured back, rolling onto his back and pulling Regina with him, so she was nestled into his side. "I'm so glad you're giving us a chance."

"You gave quite the pleasurable argument," Regina answered. "And besides, now I can keep you even longer." She pressed a soft kiss to his chest, then rested her head on his shoulder, her face pressed against his neck.

Henry hummed and rubbed her back, already knowing that he could never leave her, regardless of what their relationship was.

2029

Regina made her way back through the diner, breaking away from Dr. Hopper to find Henry once more. When she was at his side, she pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and wrapped her arms around his waist, waiting for his friends to disperse. They'd had a good five years, growing in their relationship together. Regina was finally happy, he was her happy ending and she couldn't imagine having more than she did with him.

"Hey, beautiful," Henry greeted with a smile, draping his arm over Regina's shoulders and pulling her closer so he could bend his neck and kiss her. Before Billy and Michael could drift away from the interrupted conversation about car engines, Henry broke the kiss and looked around the room, raising his voice. "Hey, can I get everyone's attention over here, please?"

The gathered crowd slowly quieted and drew closer, looking at Henry expectantly. "This has been an awesome birthday," he started, grinning. "And nothing makes it more wonderful than the beautiful woman here beside me," he squeezed Regina close again.

Shaking her head in amusement, she left her gaze lingering on his face. She kissed the side of his chest. "Leave the attention on yourself, darling. It's your day," Regina murmured.

"I know it's my day, that's why I'm doing this," Henry murmured back, before addressing the room again. "You all know how happy Regina and I have been together. And I'd like to officially, hopefully, announce that our happiness is going to last for the rest of our lives." Biting his lip, Henry turned to face Regina and pulled a simple diamond ring out of his pocket. "Regina… I won't ask you to be mine, because I already know that you are, just as I'm yours. But would you please do me the great honor of allowing me to become your husband?"

Regina gasped her surprise. They'd spoken about being together always, imagined it, but she certainly hadn't expected this. She couldn't tear her eyes from his as she tried to force herself to speak. Finally, without even looking at the ring, she nodded saying, "Of course. Of course I will." Then she let out a small chuckle and took his face in her hands.

Henry's grin was blinding, and he wrapped his arms around her, still holding the ring, and pulled her against him, kissing her with all the love he felt for her. The kiss was electric in a way he'd never experienced before, and a warm breeze washed over him. Parting their lips just enough to speak, he whispered, "Did you feel that?"

Nodding slowly, Regina bit her lip. She'd felt that pulse of energy once before, and it wasn't one she was part of, but she knew what it meant. Grimly, she spoke, "Henry... that was True Love's Kiss."

"True Love," Henry whispered reverently, smiling. It was only the rising murmur of voices around him that made him realize that this might actually be a bad thing.

"It's the Evil Queen," a voice in the back of the diner spat out, bringing sounds of agreement from the others.

Regina turned in his arms, facing the crowd of people surrounding them, keeping Henry at her back, though her size would hardly protect him. "Stay back!" she growled. They wouldn't listen, she was sure they wouldn't, but Henry was all she cared about, she had to keep him safe.

"She doesn't have magic here," Ruby pointed out, stepping to the front of the group and eyeing the older brunette warily.

"Everybody just stop of a minute!" Henry demanded. "Yes, she was the Evil Queen, and you're just remembering that, but that's not who she is now. The fact that she and I just broke the curse with True Love's Kiss shows that."

"Weren't you her son?" Granny stepped forward as well, somehow having attained a crossbow in the two minutes since the curse broke.

Regina faltered. She hadn't expected that. Of course, she hadn't expected the curse to break, either, but she couldn't think of how to respond. "I-You all need to stay where you are, otherwise I'll be forced to react. As for Henry... he is mine, if one person touches him I will kill them in an instant."

"Calm down," Henry murmured into her ear. "Nobody's going to hurt, or kill, anyone. You're not the Evil Queen anymore, please show them that."

Pursing her lips, Regina whispered her agreement. "Please, I-I can't change the past, but I have no intention of hurting any of you. Just please stay away."

Archie, having remembered his friendship with Henry during the curse, as well as his amicable relationship with Regina, stepped away from the counter toward them. "Everyone please, vengeance won't do any of us any good. We should look to our leaders for an idea of what to do, but killing the queen won't help."

"What leaders?" Henry wondered, looking around the room. As if on cue, the bell above the door rang, and Henry looked over to see Mary Margaret (Snow White, he reminded himself) helping the John Doe coma patient (Prince Charming) through the door.

"Emma?" Mary Margaret called, looking around the room frantically. "Where's Emma? Where's my daughter?"

Eyes widening at her memory returning, Regina groaned. She was going to be in a lot more trouble if they found out who Henry was to them. She snarled at Snow White, of course she had come, and found her pathetic Prince. "You won't find her here."

"What did you do to her?" Snow demanded, marching right up to Regina, stopping only when Henry's hand came out to press against her shoulder, halting her forward momentum.

"She didn't do anything to anyone," Henry said, frowning. "Your daughter never came. Her twenty-eighth birthday was eighteen years ago."

"Your Emma never found her way here," Regina baited, with a scowl. "Perhaps you shouldn't have put her in a box and shipped her off to Maine." She paused, glaring at the crowd of people before continuing. "She's never been in this town, and you were unable to lead your people as they trusted you to do."

"N-no, that's not," Snow shook her head slowly. "She's the Savior. We sent her away so she would escape your curse; it was prophesied that she would return and break the curse!"

Henry shrugged and went to take Regina's hand when he realized he was still holding the ring. "Well, she's not here. And if you'll excuse us, this whole curse-breaking thing interrupted my proposal." Taking Regina's left hand, he smiled at her and gently slid the ring into place.

Regina chuckled lightly at his insistence, though she did quite like the addition of his ring on her hand. "We should go home," she whispered, eyes flickering to the angry people surrounding them.

"Agreed," Henry smiled, taking a moment to kiss her slowly, both because he wanted to, and to make a statement to the unhappy crowd. Then he wrapped his arm around her and guided her out of the diner. Let everyone sort out their own shit, he decided. He had everything he could ever want.