Illusions

Chapter Nineteen

"Henry," Regina gasps, moving quickly to break her embrace with the blonde, and for some godawful reason, Emma's first instinct to hold the woman closer, needing to protect her in the moment from the disaster that's about to rain all over them.

"What is going on?" He screeches, his tiny voice cracking under the weight of the circumstance. "Why are you guys kissing? Why are you kissing her?" He bellows, his face scrunching up in utter bewilderment and he honestly looks like he's in severe pain. "What are you doing?"

"Henry, I'm so sorry you had to find out this way," Regina softly whispers, twirling around in Emma's embrace and bending down to reach out for her son.

But as always, he's quick to dodge her unwanted touch and Emma flinches this time, not Regina though, and Emma knows it's because she was expecting his dismissal after what he just witnessed.

"No, stop! I knew you were being too nice. You want to steal her, so she stays on your side. You don't want her to believe that she's my mom. You don't want her breaking the curse," he screams hysterically, his volume rising with each passing breath and stealing all the oxygen from the room.

"Honey-"

"No! Don't listen to her Ally! She's evil. She doesn't want you to break her curse! She doesn't want you to be my mom because she knows your good and you will take me away from all of this horrible stuff!"

"Kid, please, you need to calm down. Listen to your mother, alright? She loves you," she gently reasons but his little body is trembling and there are fat tears streaming down his face, that he probably doesn't even realize. "Your mom is not evil. This isn't some plot, we like each other a lot and-"

"No! This can't be happening! You need to break the curse! You need to stop all of this. Everyone is suffering!"

There's a warm liquid clinging to Emma's eyes from witnessing such a little boy completely breaking down, because she does care for him now. She never thought it would be possible, but this little human wiggled his way into her heart and she does adore him.

"Everyone is suffering?" Emma softly asks, reaching for his hand. "Or just you?"

He jerks away as if she's contaminated by some hazardous waste, but Regina is stepping forward again. She's silently crying and stretching forward for her son, but he's vehemently shaking his head and countering each step she takes.

"Please baby, please stop all of this. I love you, Henry. I am your mother and this woman cannot save you from the pain you're dealing with inside," Regina carefully says, but he's not listening as he sobs.

"No! No, it's all wrong. She's my mom!"

"Henry, she is not your mother!"

"She is! You're lying! You know she is, you don't want her breaking the curse and taking me away!"

"Henry," Regina exasperates, slowly losing her patience after an entire year of this debacle. "Enough is enough. This needs to end, Allison Cameron, is not your mother," she firmly announces, but he's violently shaking his head and rejecting her.

"Yes, she is." His hazel eyes fling to Emma's in an instant. "Tell her! Tell her how you gave me up to give me my best chance, so we could break the curse.

"Henry, I am not your mom!" Emma unexpectedly explodes because she cannot possibly deal with another moment of this insanity, he needs to face his reality.

"But-"

"No, Henry," she bends down so she's eye level with him and holds his gaze. Glassy green eyes challenging soaking wet hazel orbs, all wide-eyed and petrified. "I am not your mother. I've never given birth. I've never even been pregnant," she vows and to her own horror, she watches this little boy completely crumble.