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It was hard at first, and sometimes it still was, but the smile on his mothers face was all that mattered. She was happy and he could not begrudge her that, but his there mother Emma had left town after it happened. Nobody blamed Regina in fact Emma told everyone not to blame her and so it was. She was untouchable for blame and even if they wanted to they all knew it was Tink’s fault. MM had a part to play in it to but she was also content to try and give her daughter happiness no matter what form it came in. However she should have backed off when she had the chance, but she didn’t. That had been the beginning of the relationship between Robin and his mom. He’d never seen her so happy except with one other person but Emma made sure that Henry understood that she and Regina were still friends. And though he may not have had his ma’s superpower he knew she was lying. Sure they probably still cared for one another but he knew just by the dull look in the blondes eye whenever he brought his mom up that the brunette had hurt her. He ignored it for them both though, that elephant in the room, and with time things seemed to transition into something more of a family.
That was of course until the fighting started to happen. First Robin wanted to apply to be a deputy and the Mayor put her foot down claiming the town already had one only for Robin to fire back that David could be promoted to Sheriff and if he didn’t want the job Robin would be more than happy to take it. That was when things really started to go down hill. With each fight between his mom and Robin they’d make up but then find something else to fight about. Ironically enough those fights seemed to center around things Emma used to do. He noticed she wouldn’t dance to certain songs with him, or make the dishes Emma liked unless it was just Henry and Regina for the night because Robin and Roland went to see the Merry Men. One night he remembered so vividly of having to go and find his mother because it was three hours past the ‘staying late’ excuse would work for him though Robin bought it.
“Hey where’s mom?” the young man asked his tone having deepened in the last four years as he came down the stairs.
Not even glancing his way the ex-thief took a drink from his beer (the cheap kind, not the stuff mom used to buy for Emma), “She’s at work, said she’ll be late.”
“Right,” And you’re completely buying that? he thought knowing exactly where his mother was. Grabbing the keys to his truck that used to belong to David henry grabbed his own red leather jacket and headed for the door, “I’ll be back.” a grunt was the only acknowledgment he had as he flung the door open and closed running to his truck.
By the time he got to city hall he could still see his mother's light on in her office though the shades kept prying eyes away. In public everything was fine but behind closed doors...well you can only be somewhat happy for so long. Turning off the engine Henry got out of the truck and made his way inside. The halls were dark only lit by the moonlight that allowed him to see but the light coming from under the doorway was his guide. Stopping outside the door he sighed hearing the muffled cries and shattering of glass as no doubt another tumbler added to the already made pile. How’d it come to this? he wondered not for the first time. Knocking to make his presence known the cries stopped and the shuffling of papers replaced it.
“Mom, I know you're in there,” he said quietly, “please let me in?” and he waited, and waited, and waited until the lock at the door turned and opened to reveal the woman who was always so strong look so torn down.
Bloodshot eyes met his, “Henry,” her voice hoarse and tired pulling him into a hug and all he could do was return it knowing no amount of okay’s was going to fix this one. Leading her back into the office he sat her down on the love-seat before going to get the hidden pictures he’d seen many times before.
Handing them to her she picked out the most recent one they’d taken before it all fell apart. They’d gone to the beach that day and the sun was shining so intensely that when it hit those green emerald eyes they shined brighter than anything she’d ever seen. The smile on her face reached her eyes, and he was pretty sure his mom could still hear the whispered ‘I love you’ that had left Emma’s mouth a moment before. He watched as her fingers caressed the image with such tenderness, “I miss her.”
Feeling himself choke up he nodded, “Me too mom, me too.” he then embraced her in a hug as she cried some more until she fell asleep in his arms exhausted and heartbroken.
A few days later after his mom and Robin broke up he found himself sitting on Emma’s couch in her apartment while she was at work. Sadly for them both she couldn’t switch with someone else since the case she was working on was high profile and she was the lead detective on it. She promised pizza and movies when she got home though so that made up for it. Bored of channel surfing Henry made his way to the fridge which was thankfully fully stocked on the weekends he came down. Browsing the items within he decided on sliced chicken and a can of Diet Pepsi for lunch. Sitting back down on the couch he flipped through the channels a few more times before settling on a cop show Rizzoli & Isles both he and Emma were hard core Rizzles fans.
So engrossed was he into the current episode that the banging on the door had him startled. Knowing it wasn’t Emma he got up from the couch and made his way towards the door. Looking out the peephole he saw two uniformed police officers. Opening it to see what the matter was the two officers looked at him with sympathy, “Are you Henry Mills?” Only able to nod his head Henry didn’t know what to think, but he had a good idea, “Can we come in son?”
Standing so the two could enter he led them to the living room where he sat on the couch and they too the loveseat beside it, “Mr. Mills, this is very hard for me since your mother was one of my best friends but I’m sorry to inform you that Emma, was killed in action today. She was DOA and there was nothing we could do once we arrived.” the emotion in the dark haired man’s voice wavered and Henry knew this man had been one of his Ma’s closest friends. She spoke of him sometimes, but still it was hard to process.
His first reaction was to ask questions, “Who was she saving?”
The two officers sighed thinking how well he knew his mother,”A daughter and her mother. She was on her way home when a domestic dispute was reported in the area and she was still on shift for the next hour technically and she decided to take it.”
Closing his eyes Henry didn’t know how to process any of this. A few days ago David was saving him and his mom from domestic violence and he turned out alright, but why not Emma? Why’d she have to go and be the hero again.
“Is there anyone else here that we should inform?”
Registering the voice again Henry shook his head, “No, none here, but back home. She has some family and I can do it.”
Looking at the boy the man placed a hand on his shoulder, “Need any help getting there?”
“No, I’m going tomorrow so please don’t try to stop me.”
“Swans kid?” he laughed, “There’s no stopping you,” he smiled leaving a few of Emma’s items like her wallet, car keys, and phone while instructing Henry to call him if he needed anything and left with his partner. Returning to the show Henry watched as the last scene was a perfect moment for Rizzles to happen but it just seemed more empty with no one to share it with.
Looking around the apartment and quickly deciding he couldn’t be there alone he packed his clothes into the duffle he brought with him, grabbed the items the officers had left, and hit the road. It was what felt like minutes though it took hours to get home when he pulled up to the mansion. Stepping out of the car he made his way to the door unlocking it before moving inside. He saw his mother on the stairs and for a minute wondered if they’d contacted her but knew it wasn’t so when she looked at him with so much hope. So far he hadn’t let himself think about it but seeing that hopeful look in his mother's eyes snapped him out of his daze.
Not knowing what to say they sat in silence for what seemed like hours until he turned his bright green eyes too hers unshed tears held at bay, “Mom,” his voice broke flinging his arms around her he held on tight, “She...Ma..shot...duty...gone…” and he felt her tighten her arms around him knowing he’d shattered both of their hearts and worlds.