Borne of Curses & Blessings

Chapter Fourteen

After a mind-numbingly boring shift at the station, I find myself indulging in a very teenage aspect of myself; thank God for technology during second puberty because having unlimited access like this is amazing. I scroll and scroll and scroll until I finally find the one I'm looking for, it always gets my blood pumping! I click play and a sudden sense of relief washes over me as the first few seconds begin to play.
"On a train, headed east of here.
Where I'll end up, I'm not quite clear.
But, I can't help myself.
I must be settlin' down.
But, til they stop this thing I'll get around.
Then, I hear it's been done before.
And, I hear it's a simple thing.
And, I hear it's quite typical.
And, I hear... almost everything."
I throw my hair around and allow my body to move with the music, I haven't felt this free in my life. I just wish Henry and Regina could be here.
The next thing I know, Henry and Regina are standing before me.
"Emma!?"
"Mom? What's going on?!" Henry asks in a fit of confusion, "I was in class and then--"
"Dance with me!"
"Huh?" They ask in unison.
"Dance with me, please?"
"Both of us?" Henry asks timidly.
"Yes! I want this memory with you both, in this body. Please?"
Regina's eyes are glittering as she reads my mind.
"I can't dance, Emma..."
"Gina, no one can dance... not really anyway. Come on! Some of my best years were in the 90s and 2000s, just move with the music!"
"Mom?" Henry interrupts.
"Yeah, kid?"
"I can't dance."
"No one can, not really." Regina and I say in unison and he smiles in response. I change the song to something I find to be perfect in every way. The soothing house beat and bass thump, causing us all to slow down and move with the music.
"And, we all sit around the fire
We feel a little warmer now
And, we all sit around the fire
We feel so much better now."
"Ooh! I like this one!" Henry exclaims happily.
"We're all falling and we need a place to hide.
A safe place somewhere in the woods we can start the fire.
All we know is what would be our home
We will stay till the break of dawn.
And we leave it all behind
Can't you see we need some time?"

Regina and Henry soak in the lyrics and move the house-style beat with me, laughing and smiling. Henry takes our hands and we dance in a circle, his soft brown hair flopping and sticking to his forehead. The song changes again and Trouble by Pink begins to play, as the lyrics begin Regina begins to sing along garnering attention from Henry and I.
Her voice is like hot tea and honey, I've never heard her sing before but it's like this subtle roar I can't get enough of. She takes our hands and pulls us to her, moving awkwardly to the beat. The energy surrounding us is warm and inviting, I don't think we've ever felt this connected as a family before now. As the song dies down, Henry collapses into us giving us a fierce hug.
"Moms?"
"Yeah, kid?" I ask as I kneel down before him. He cups my face with his hands and runs his fingers along my face; he looks up at Regina who in turn kneels before him and he repeats the process. He gingerly traces his finger over Regina's freshly healed lip.
"Does it hurt?"
"No, sweetheart. A perk of the Prophecy. It only looks fresh but it's only a memory presenting itself."
"Do you feel different?"
"In a way, yes. I think we both feel like we did when we really were this age."
"Do you remember? I mean, do you remember our life together, Mom? Raising me? Teaching me to ride? Reading comics together? Taking care of me when I caught chicken pox?" He whispers, his little lip quivering.
"Of course, I remember sweetheart."
"So... this isn't a curse?"
"No, my prince. It's a blessing."
"Emma?"
"Yeah, kid?"
"You died for my mom?" He asks as he traced his thumb over my chest, "Gramma says you... you almost died for my mom.
"I guess so, kid."
"Why?" He asks glibly.
"Henry!" Regina gasps.
"It's okay, Gina. It's okay."
"Why?" He asks again, his lip quivers again. I kneel before him and stroke the hair out of his face. He looks so grown up, I'm so proud of him. No matter how angry he's been with Regina, he still feels like he has to protect her.
"Because I love her, Henry. I'm in love with her."
He then smiles up at me proudly.
"Are we a family now?"
"We always have been but yes, if it's okay with you."
"Is it kissy-faced?" He giggles before taking off outside with his R/C car.
"Kissy-faced? Really?" Regina grumbles.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault... I read him The House with a Clock in its Walls and he wouldn't let it go."
"Oh? Is it good?"
"Piqued your interest in a leisure read, have I?"
"Perhaps..."
"It's decent. I loved it as a kid, I sort of related to the main character Louis. He kind of reminds me of Henry when I think about it! It's also a movie... I wanted to watch it with you both sometime."
A movie date? With Emma and Henry? All due to something she enjoyed in her childhood?
"I'd love that very much, Emma Swan."
------
After our little dance party at the station last night, Emma treated us to ice cream before we went to Henry's Castle to play. I begin to reflect as I watch them fencing with wooden swords, falling to the ground in fits of giggles. I begin to remember what our lives were like before Emma came to Storybrooke; each memory I have here wound up being rather depressing... how could I ever have worked so hard to make Henry seem delusional? How could I have wanted to keep him from her?
"Mom?"
"Yes, Henry?"
"You okay?"
"Of course, little prince. Why do you ask?"
"Well.... the eggs were supposed to be scrambled and now they're kinda whipped..." he offers with a gentle chuckle. I look down at the bowl and realize he's right.
"Shoot... I'm sorry, Henry. Let me..."
"Mom, please. Can we forget the eggs? I know you think I'm just a kid, but... I'm almost 10, I wanna help. Talk to me."
"Henry, sweetie, you're still much to too young to carry the burden of an adults' concerns."
"Have we or have we not faced our greatest fears together?"
"Henry, I-"
"It's a yes or no question, Mom. Have we or have we not faced our greatest fears together?"
"I-... yes, we have."
"So, why won't you talk to me?"
"Henry, it's complicated."
"I doubt that. You've always made things significantly more difficult than they ever needed to be."
"'Significantly?' Really?" He sounds so much like me...
"You're dodging."
"I'm not afraid, Henry. I'm worried... this prophecy... what if it's wrong?"
"What do you mean?"
"Henry, I'm so sorry.... for everything. How can I be a Pinnacle of Peace?! After all I've done to you...."
"Mom, stop..."
"It's true, Henry."
"No! It isn't! You tried to protect me... granted, it was a little harsh and over the top but all you were doing was trying to protect me."
"B-But, Emma..."
"Even with Emma... we didn't know her. I can't imagine how terrified you had to be when she just showed up with me. It wasn't fair... and, even though I kept pushing you away, kept reminding you that weren't my mother, you doubled down on your love for me. You wanted me safe.... now that you lead with love over jealousy, I don't see how the prophecy is wrong about you."
I feel my lip quiver as I set down the bowl and whisk.
"You've always believed in me, haven't you? Even when you simply thought I was evil... you believed."
"Duh, I have the heart of the Truest Believer."
"Indeed you do, my little prince." I finish before considering what to do with my egg mess.
"Um, Mom?"
"Yes, Henry?"
"You know I love you, right?"
"I-.. of course I do, sweetheart."
"No, I mean it... I think it's something we never discussed when Emma came to town. Then, the curse broke and Ma and Grandma went through the portal, then Neverland, and everything else..."
"Henry, you don't have to--"
"Yes, I do. Do you know why I call Emma my 'Ma'?"
"So it isn't confusing when discussing us with friends?"
"Because YOU are my mom. Emma is my mother, she loves me and I love her. But, you've ALWAYS been there. You taught me to ride a bike, to ride a horse, you taught me to climb trees, and you took care of me when I was sick or sad."
I feel tears welling in my eyes, he hops off of his stool to wrap his arms around me.
"You will always be my Mom. I will always love you. Okay? Nothing will change now that your destiny is fulfilled."
"But, what about-"
"Emma? I'm just waiting for the wedding."
"Wedding? But--"
"You are Truest Love's... let's not pretend this isn't happening."
"Henry, we're a long way from that..."
Hopefully not as long as I'm anticipating...
"Uh-huh... well, while you're busy believing that I'll be busy believing that you won't do something staunch and traditional because I wanna be your best man." He chuckles before kissing my cheek and grabbing an apple before heading upstairs.
He is right... what the hell am I waiting for?
------
After what turned out to be a comforting and validating conversation with Henry, I walked him to the bus stop before going into a cleaning tizzy; aside from basic spells to mask the insane amount of damage done from our little throw down with my mother, I hadn't really dedicated the time to it... something about it was too heavy in the moments after. But, now seems like the right time to start. I turn up the volume on my desktop speakers and crank an old Playlist I created several years ago.
I'm pleased when "Honey" by Moby queues up to play, I remember hearing it in part in a movie Henry had me watch and I just HAD to find the full track and it didn't disappoint. It's got a rhythm like a dwarves sing an almost primal beat that can only propel you forward. As I begin to wash the walls and mop the floors, I get completely wrapped up in the music.
"Get my honey come back, sometimes
I wanna rap like that, sometimes
I get a hump in my back, sometimes
I'm going over here, sometimes

Get my honey come back, sometimes
I'm gonna run back Jack, sometimes
I get a hump in my back, sometimes
I'm going over here, sometimes

Get my honey come back, sometimes
I'm gonna run back Jack, sometimes
I get a hump in my back, sometimes
I'm going over here, sometimes..."

When I spin around once more and I open my eyes, I find myself amazed at what I see. My cleaning supplies are moving, functioning independently of me. I've never conjured magic like this... it's light and light hearted, I think to myself. Like Fantasia... I'm used to conjuring darker, more ominous aids for myself; my magic has always been tainted with anger, sorrow, and darkness.
"How is this possible?"
"Because your heart is Light once, again." A deep voice intervenes.
"Creator?"
"Yes, Pinnacle?"
"What do you mean my heart is Light? What does everyone mean when they say it?"
"Regina, your darkness... it wasn't all your own."
"I don't understand."
"Your mother cursed your heart the day you were born, The Curse of the Poisoned Heart. It was designed to essentially turn you into a vessel of darkness and raw power. She drove herself mad with magic and power, she wanted more. Something only you could give."
"That curse is designed for the victim to absorb their darkness, they become it..."
"Precisely."
"So, that means...."
"You aren't evil, Regina. You never were. Her goal was to eventually take your heart as her own in order to consume your power."
"This is why my subjects no longer fear me?"
"As per your reward for fulfilling the prophecy. Regina, Cora was only right about one thing.... you are destined for great things. You are destined to wield great power. But, not in the sense that she understood."
"What does that mean, Creator?"
"It means that what you've endured has prepared you for greatness and goodness, the likes you've never experienced before."
"When will we meet you, mighty one."
"Soon, my child. Fear not, believe in yourself, and enjoy your journey."