Chapter Text
Prologue
Henry laid his head down on one of Regina's breasts stilling his heaving breaths. His cock slid out of her and he pulled himself up to wrap his arms around her just under her armpits, nuzzling into the crook of her neck. "I love you, Mom."
"I love you too, Henry." Regina's breaths were evening out but her eyes were still closed. She felt satiated; it had been a long time since she had been loved to distraction like this.
Henry looked up at the relaxed face of his mother. Her eyes were closed and he desperately wanted to kiss her still. Reaching up with his lips, he licked her top lip into his mouth sucking on it slightly. Regina reflexively closed her bottom lip over Henry's, and pulled and sucked. Henry pulled back and smiled feeling happiness float over him.
Light shimmered through Regina's body. She felt the parts of her body, which were once withered from the poison she had consumed, start to rejuvenate and strengthen. She gasped slightly from the surge of healing and her eyes widened in realization at what had just happened. Regina looked up at Henry in horror once again, "You … you did this!
Archie’s Office
Regina Mills sat on the sofa in Dr. Hopper’s office two weeks after the incident. She couldn’t look the cricket in the eyes. She smoothed out some wrinkles in her skirt and then clasped her long fingers together to only reach up and tuck her hair behind her ears. She crossed her ankles first one way than the other.
Dr. Hopper sat across from the mayor. Taking his pen from his mouth, he set pen to paper and began, “Regina, I know this must be difficult, let me get the ball started: why have you come here …?”
“I slept with my son,” Regina blurted.
“You slept, you had sex with Henry?” Archie spoke in a soft voice as he repeated and confirmed what Regina had just said to him.
“Yes, I had sex with Henry.” Regina’s voice was hard. “He told me that he had wanted to since he was twelve, just after that missing year. He’s been masturbating to my image and using my name. I find this very disturbing, but he also confessed that he has been fooling around with his girlfriend, but they haven’t, for lack of a better word, consummated their relationship yet. He told me he wanted some instruction.” Regina watched as Archie jotted down what she was saying. She bit her lip and continued, “I argued with him that I was his mother and his argument was that if I taught him that he would forget about me and to move on to … greener pastures.” Regina finished off lamely.
Archie finished off the notes from Regina’s spiel and looked up, “So, the reason you came here was to get this off your chest and try to move on …”
“He broke my curse.” Regina scoffed and shook her head at herself at her outburst. Her fingers made their way to her temple where she rubbed gently. She could feel a headache coming on.
“Wait a moment, your curse? What curse would that be?” Archie’s brows scrunched together in confusion.
“When I was queen, my mother was eager for me to have a child. At the time I thought she was trying to take away my freedom once again. She killed my fiancé, made me marry the king, made me stay inside the castle and introduced me to the dark one.” A tear ran down Regina’s cheek. Idly, she wiped it away. “So I took a magic concoction that made me infertile.”
Archie sat in silence a few moments, letting Regina gather herself before they continued. “That was the reason why you adopted Henry … because you couldn’t have a child of your own.”
Regina inhaled deeply. Her face did not betray the turmoil deep inside. She stated simply, “Yes.”
“So Henry broke your infertility curse and you want to know what that means?” Archie processed.
“True love breaks all curses. If Robin wasn’t my true love, than Henry is? He’s my son. I couldn’t possibly do that again.” Regina blinked rapidly and shook her head.
“Why do you think you have to?” Archie inquired.
“Well, if he is my true love that means, uh, we are, uh …” Regina left the sentence hanging.
“True love means different things for different people, Regina. Why he had to have, sex, with you to break this curse does not mean that he is meant to be your lover; unless you want him to.” Archie stared down at the notes on his pad.
Regina studied Archibald Hopper’s bowed head. “You mean, you think that Henry and I can just pick up like this has never happened.”
“Of course not, what you and Henry have chosen to do may have certain ramifications to your relationship as mother and son. If you wanted to work through that relationship, I would suggest coming for further therapy sessions just to even out your future path. I will need to speak with Henry to see what he desires to do with your current relationship …” Archie was cut off as Regina sprung to her feet.
“I will send Henry to you.” Regina made her way to the door.
Archie called after her, “Regina, do you think you could ever love him that way?”
Regina spun around to face the cricket, taking the few steps to his chair she glowered down at him and raised her voice as she said, “He’s my son! How could I?”
“Regina, please sit down. I hardly think we are finished, unless you would like to come back another time.” Archie gestured to his sofa, a gentle questioning look on his face. Regina slowly made her way back to the sofa and sunk down onto it. “I can’t help but think that you are letting the fact that you raised him get in the way. Don’t let it get in the way. Maybe that’s the reason you let him in, so he can see who you are and fall in love with the person you don’t let anyone else see. Sometimes, that can make the best love.”
Regina sat with her hands in her coat pockets on the edge of the sofa, her face emotionless, staring helplessly at the carpet. “So you think that I should try to love my son that way?”
“I’m not saying that at all. I’m saying that you need to discover what kind of love you have together. You say it’s true love. True love can take on many forms, discover yours, develop it and embrace what Henry has to offer you. Just don’t turn away and hide. Henry doesn’t deserve that. You have so much love to offer him, have offered him, and now he has to learn how to give back to you in an appropriate way. And if that way takes you in a direction you never expected, open yourself to the possibilities because love can conquer all.” Archie’s eyes shone as he admonished Regina.
Regina breathed deeply and raised to her feet, looking into Dr. Hopper’s upturned face, she replied, “Thank you, Dr. Hopper. I will send Henry to you, as soon as I can.”
Regina opened the door of the office and closed it gently behind her as she made her way to her car.
“Uh, Dr. Hopper,” Henry poked his head around the door of Archibald Hopper’s office several days later.
Archie swivelled around in his desk chair and came to standing, reaching out a hand to Henry then gesturing to his sofa, he said, “Henry, please come have a seat.” As Henry sat down on the leather sofa, Archie continued, “How are you doing today, Henry?”
“Good. Sorry this took so long to come in. My mom told me to talk with you, but I’m getting settled at the Sheriff’s office as a new deputy and I’ve been busy. I’m also taking a long distance writing course with a University in Boston and I have so much on my plate, so to speak.” Henry grinned up at Archie.
“I’m so glad you are starting to settle into a routine and things are going well for you. Do you plan to go to University at some point?” Archie gathered his notepad and pen and settled in the chair closer to Henry.
“I have talked about it with my moms. They both seem to be in favour of my going to university, but I haven’t decided yet if that’s what I want to do. I enjoy staying in Storybrooke and having the occasional escapade. There’s too much fun here to traipse of to University. Besides, I know what I want to do with my life. I’m the Author and I’m accepted and loved here. I love my job as deputy. I don’t see an issue. I’ll put off my moms for as long as I can.”
Archie chuckled. “It’s good to know what you want to do in life, but if you get the chance I would highly recommend University. It would broaden your mind and experiences. Well, anyways, you know why your mom sent you here to talk with me, correct?”
“Yes,” Henry fidgeted nervously. “It’s about our relationship. Um,” Henry hedged, “How much did she tell you?”
“From what I understand, everything,” Archie cleared his throat, assuring Henry once again, “But everything you say here is confidential, so it won’t go outside these walls. No one will find out, unless you want them to.”
“Oh,” Henry studied the rug briefly, “thanks, Dr. Hopper.”
“So, what are your thoughts? Where do you want your relationship to go?” Archie held Henry’s gaze before Henry looked out the window.
He cleared his throat, and stuttered, “Well, I-I-I don’t know.” The office was silent while Henry processed some of his thoughts to himself. Archie’s eyes glazed over as he stared at the floor. He jumped slightly when Henry cleared his throat again and continued, “Why do I have to decide?”
Archie gestured slightly with the pen in his hand as he said, “I just need to understand what you intend out of your relationship. Did you think you could just go back to things as they were after you had sex with your mom?”
Henry’s eyes widened and he gulped, “I didn’t think about that. I just wanted her. I couldn’t even think about anyone else but her. Violet broke up with me because I couldn’t focus on her. She didn’t know I was thinking of Regina, I mean, my mom.” He ran his hand through his hair and made it stand on end. “I was kind of hoping she would fall for me afterward. And when a burst of magic went through her after I kissed her, I thought maybe she was falling in love.”
“A burst of magic … hmm … so that’s what did it.” Archie was jotting on his notepad frantically.
Henry’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean? Did what?”
“Hmm,” Archie looked up at Henry, “Oh, just your mom mentioned that you broke her curse.” He pursed his lips together and tapped his pen against his chin.
Broke her curse! Oh my g… I can’t believe. I did that? Henry’s brows reached his hair line. “What curse?”
“Her infertility curse,” Archie’s back straightened and his head twisted quickly back to Henry. “Wait, you didn’t know? She didn’t tell you.”
“Huh, no,” Henry shook his head. He could feel his hands start to sweat. “So she couldn’t have babies before? Wait, oh no! If I broke it, and I wasn’t wearing protection … is she pregnant?”
“Whoa, you weren’t … she wasn’t … well, you may have a whole other problem here.” Archie’s eyes widened as he stuttered. “That’s not my field. She should go see Dr. Whale or Dr. Proudman. Be sure to tell her, young man. She will need that looked at.” Archie shook his pen at Henry then turned back to his scribbling.
“Uh, yes sir, Dr. Hopper,” Henry acquiesced. “Uh, should I go do that now?”
“Would you like to set up another appointment then, so you may go talk with Regina?” Archie inquired.
“Uh, no, if I can get most of this done now, it would be better under the circumstances, I mean, considering my busy schedule.” Henry wiped his hands against his pants, trying to wipe away his sweat.
“Right,” Archie agreed, “Well then, so having this bit of information, what does that change for you?”
“I guess if she were, I would want her to have the baby. Whether she would accept me as the father is another question, though. But I would like to see if maybe I could woo her. I mean, after all, I know her pretty well. I think I can do this.” Henry looked optimistic.
“What if she decides she can’t fall in love with you? What if she decides you won’t be the baby’s father? Are you willing to release her, to release those images you … masturbated to? Can you fall out of love with her?” Archie’s brows furrowed as he beseeched Henry.
“Some of that can’t be answered now. Even you know that, but I’m grateful that you have asked me those questions as now I know what I may be up against. And if I have to, I’ll just have to try harder at falling out of love with her, even though I’m not willing to release her. I love her too much. I don’t know what our true love means,” Archie blinked in surprise that Henry figured it out for himself, “but I’m willing to find out what that means and maybe she will be surprised at where it will take us.”
Henry stood to his feet and Archie followed him to the door. “Good luck, Henry. You have a quite the road before you. She is not ready yet.”
Henry smiled and reached out his hand, and Archie shook it, “Thank you, Dr. Hopper. I know you’re right, so I’ll need all the luck I can get.” He walked confidently out the office door.