terribly sorry, officer (baelfiery) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2015-07-01 11:43:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, emma swan, neal cassidy (baelfire), regina mills (evil queen) |
Who: Swanfire Queen (Neal, Emma, Regina) and NPC!Henry
What: Checking up on Henry in Boston, and finding more than they bargained for
When: Backdated to around the 29th of June
Where: Henry's school
Rating/Warnings: FEELS
Status: Complete
The trip was definitely easier, and more comfortable, this time around. For one thing, Neal and his companions didn’t have to live out of a van - not that he didn’t love Lina’s shagmobile (he did, it’d been home for awhile) but he also, at the same time, had to admit that a cross-country flight to Boston was not only quicker but easier on his nerves. They just strapped themselves into the seats of that metal tube, took advantage of the alcohol, tried not to let nerves get the best of them. Got themselves a rental car to tool around Boston in, without relying too much on public transportation, and hotel rooms for a couple days time. Neal had already made reservations at one of Boston’s best (and most expensive) French restaurants, on the waterfront, and it’d be where he and Emma appropriately thanked Regina for offering to foot most of the bill for this trip. It’d also be a way to decompress a little because already this was looking to be an emotional thing. Research yielded a couple facts. One, that middle school had just let out for the summer (today was Henry’s last day, in fact) and that tragedy had recently slammed down like a sledgehammer. None of them had been expecting to come to Boston and learn that they’d just missed the funeral services for the kid’s adoptive parents - killed in a car crash, and now everything smelled like sorrow. The sourness of neglect, laundry piled up and forgotten, pies brought by the neighbors to express their condolences. What the hell were they supposed to do now? Henry finished out the school year, and then where would he go? With another relative, probably, arrangements made. But Neal was personally having trouble figuring out how to navigate all this. Waiting outside the school, blending in like they were any other parents ready to pick up their excited kid who was free for summer, he was hoping the others had some ideas. So far the plan was just to observe like they’d originally wanted, but Neal wanted to do more. The weather in Boston was mostly pleasant, a little humid; he didn’t need a jacket, just jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt. Doors opened, and kids poured out like ants, but where was... “Do you see him?” Oh, Regina had ideas. Most of them selfish. Most of them involving wanting to scoop her adopted dream-child and bring him back to the chaos that was the OC. Or maybe they’d all move for him, get him away from that vicinity of metaphysical bullshit that rained on them on a constant basis. But, of course, none of those ideas were voiced. They were all selfish knee-jerk reactions, and Henry’s well-being had been their priority. It needed to always be a priority. So new ideas were brewing. Slowly. Now, maybe she’d been overdressed for today - indigo pencilled dress, an accent belt, murderous heels and a blazer that looked and felt more like a stretchy cardigan - but it had her blend in with the school staff anyway. Not many people would question. “Not yet,” she expressed, face kept as smooth as marble-stone, though she still felt her heart caught in her throat. They were actually here. In the same state, same town, same area as Henry. To make sure this wasn’t some other kind of fucked up dream, Regina had pinched herself. “If we were to approach him, you think he’d recognize you?” Just as much in turmoil over the ‘what now’ matter of things as the others, Emma was busy making sure she didn’t chew through the ends of her hair -nasty habit she tended to fall back on when stressed- and watching each and every child spill out of the school. Finding out he’d lost the parents who’d adopted him was like a sucker punch, finding out how he lost them was just as bad. He was on his own just like her, but he was so much younger and vulnerable. Emma, like Regina, probably like Neal, just wanted to wrap him up and whisk him off somewhere, anywhere, to keep him safe from just about everything in the world. The fact that they didn’t know what was going to happen to him, if there was a relative of his adoptive parents to take him in, if there was someone else who could, or if he’d end up in the system like none of them wanted, it soured a great portion of their visit with nerves and uncertainty. “I think… Is that him?” She couldn’t tell for sure, just the hair, the feel. But the boys shoulders were hunched over and his head dropped. “If we approach him?” She was wondering just how much of an if that was for the other two, since Emma was largely leaning towards any excuse to talk to him. “Looks like him,” Neal responded, hands scrubbing over his face. Like he was trying to clear the haze from his eyes and focus. There was no doubt in his mind that they were all on the same page when it came to whisking Henry off toward where his other family awaited - but there was also that screaming voice of Orange County batting at his conscience, lighting up in neon scrawl. Maybe the kid would think body swapping was cool, but having that be his life? Could they do that? Still. It seemed like the answer was rapidly approaching ‘yes.’ “I want to hope he’ll recognize me - shit,” Neal lost track of what looked to be Henry; there were just so many short, awkward ‘caught close to pre-teen’ kids around here. “But guess there’s only one way to find out, right?” Only he didn’t get a chance. Because as usual, the little curious schemer was already two steps ahead of everyone and sneaking up from behind. Before they could go to Henry, he was there, backpack slung over his shoulder, plaid shirt (he apparently still liked the lumberjack look??) and jeans, looking wary but intrigued. “Hey!” Apparently his caution about talking to strangers went up in a puff of smoke. “I know you! You were at the carnival, weren’t you?” He didn’t recognize the other two - they weren’t the short redhead this man had been with before. “Hi.” Not that it stopped him from being friendly. So there was a very likely possibility Regina may have jolted at the sound of a voice she’d only heard in her dreams (who sounded he was teetering on the edge of puberty, oh god). There went that calm composure, because she turned and faced the boy with a sort of deer-caught-in-headlights look mixed with an indescribable amount of emotion. Which, well, seemed odd. Especially since he didn’t know her. And she’d been used to being the ‘mayor’ when Henry had his memories wiped, so she’d draw from that and ultimately keep the seams of her shit appropriately together for the sake of looking like a sane woman. Regina eyed Neal. Then eyed Emma. Then looked at Henry. Then, very awkwardly, cleared her throat. “Hi, there.” Smooth as ever, but what do you say to someone you dreamt of adopting? The diaper changes, the teething, the feedings, the nonstop crying, the first walk and first word? First birthday, first day of school? When he found out the Easter Bunny was bullshit (though now, she’d bet money otherwise)? It all felt real, like she’d done it, but she knew better. Emma hadn’t ever dreamed of this, not real this. Never imagined the awkward way she’d want to say something but not knowing how. All she knew of Henry was the boy who tracked her down so confidently and told her exactly who she was. She’d had the freak out that time, just like she was internally fighting off this time. She was luckily with very eloquent friends, who obviously knew exactly what to say, right? Then of course Regina turned out to be just as awkward as she felt and that went to hell in a handbasket full of flammables. “Um, yeah, hi, right.” Rambling wouldn’t do anyone any good, so Emma pushed that right the way down, biting her tongue if she needed to, while glancing as surreptitiously as possible between her companions. “You um, you remember what-- you remember meeting him?” Which, okay, it wasn’t that far out there, because the kid wasn’t stupid. Strange men giving you gifts with little explanation and probably a whole lot of emotions, that wasn’t something to just forget. It was true, Henry definitely hadn’t forgotten the man at the carnival who played the ice cube relay with his friend; they’d talked, things were fine, and then he just ran off. So weird. “I remember,” the kid’s dark eyes narrowed, familiar eyes, and he reached into his pocket and pulled out the thing that made Neal’s heart jackrabbit out of his chest. The swan necklace, back to a keychain - Henry had his own house keys attached, so it wasn’t really jewelry anymore, but he’d obviously been keeping it with him. “He gave me this. And a whole bunch of money.” Neal chuckled nervously. “Didn’t spend it all on those comics we talked about, did you?” “No.” Henry scuffed his feet a little. “I went to the bank, and put it in an account there.” Neal couldn’t help an amused glance at Regina over that - seemed like, somehow, her influence had rubbed off. The world worked in mysterious ways. But Henry was still obviously curious, swan keychain clenched in his hand. “What’s going on? You never told me your name. But you’re here again, with...” He glanced in between the other two people. “Who are you guys? You have to tell me this time. I think I deserve to know.” He tried to sound commanding at that, and goddamnit, this was all not going how Neal had planned. He put the money in an account! Please, don’t mind Regina’s smile of fondness and pride, it was only there for a little bit. It’d all been a surreal kind of mission up until Henry showed up (or snuck up), and there he really was. Flesh, bone, those warm eyes and of course, that ability to kind of sniff shit out when things were off. So of course he was suspicious. He’d been keen on the curse, figured everything out of his own, ventured off with her credit card to find Emma and cause the chain of events that led them from one clusterfuck to another. His inquiry was unexpected in a sense, but the behavior didn’t surprise Regina. It merely cemented that it was Henry. “I’m Regina,” she said as an introduction, hands up in some surrender. “You’ve met Neal, and this--this is Emma. We come in peace, believe me. And if you want to talk...” Which, at this point, there was no turning back, and Regina wouldn’t. Not from him. “Let’s take a seat on that bench. It’s quieter.” A bench was a good idea, where people could sit, and not fall down from shock or anything. A bench was a great idea, well done Regina. Sitting. Sitting was good. Emma was probably staring, she was aware of that, staring and maybe a little awkward looking. It was just, in the flesh, seeing him, it really brought out the features. Like how much like Neal he looked, which really, Emma knew already, she’d seen him, but this was different. She could see the sparkle of mischief, although somewhat dulled in him, the curiosity was still there too. The problem was, once they were sitting, that they had to decide just what to tell Henry. They hadn’t prepared for this, hadn’t thought about Henry just appearing and demanding answers, although why they didn’t Emma wasn’t overly sure, because they really should’ve known better. Did they tell him part of the truth? Nothing? Everything? Within reason possibly. “Um, we’re um… Well we’re friends.” That was about as far as Emma got before looking pleadingly at Regina and Neal. Neal, letting the others sit because there wasn’t enough room for all of them, stood beside where Emma was, sort of leaning against the wrought-iron armrest and wiping his palms on the front of his jeans. His stance was more casual than he felt. Henry seemed fine though, settling in, backpack tucked between his feet on the ground as he turned on the bench to face everyone. “Okay, so...what kind of friends?” He looked expectant, probably was even glad for the distraction - being at home must be difficult, considering the recent gloomy circumstances. A sigh came from Neal, and he decided he better help out and elaborate. “We’re...well, first, we’re sorry about your parents, kid.” Henry’s expression flickered, erring on the edge of gloomy, and he just nodded, ducking his head a bit. “We didn’t realize...we came because...” Words, what were they - he’d never had a problem connecting with Henry before, not in the dreams or even here, but things were just a little different now, and he didn’t want to screw this up. “We came because we’re family too. Have you ever been curious about...another family?” The swan keychain was like an anchor for him, for some reason, and Henry couldn’t explain it either but he’d just always felt it, ever since he discovered it in the envelope with all that cash. He clasped and unclasped it, nodding again. “Yeah.” Instinct told her to soothe the boy by rubbing his back, something motherly, something her heart craved to do because he’d lost the people he always saw as his parents and it must have hurt terribly. But all Regina was to him, right now, was a stranger. So her hands settled on her lap, fingers tightly locked together. “Family that’s here to make sure you’re okay. That you’re taken care of.” And that was the truth, wasn’t it? The reason why they came here anyway, to make sure with their own pair of eyes that Henry was safe and sound, though with the passing of his parents, it was all skewed. Nothing ever went as planned. Thank you for the jinx, Hans, much appreciated. Though what else to tell him, such as that these two in particular were his actual biological parents was not something she’d say. That was their choice. Whether they wanted to bring it up now, or bring it up later. But it was important to know who Henry was going to be staying with and where, and if he trusted them. This was where Emma was conflicted. On the one hand she hadn’t wanted to tell Henry who they were, purely because she didn’t want to belittle what his adopted parents were. Emma wouldn’t thank her own parents for doing that when she still had those people, the ones that cared for her and raised her and shaped her. She didn’t want anyone, least of all Henry, to feel like they were expecting something. But he’d just lost the only family he had in the world, the only ones he knew of, and no one knew just what was going to happen to Henry now. Emma would give the world to be able to take him with them, back to the OC or just somewhere else, but of course it wasn’t that easy at all. “That’s just what we want, to make sure you’re doing okay, considering. And that everything will… it’ll turn out.” As well as it could really. And maybe they’d need to look into things and maybe there was a chance that they could do something. Especially if it looked like Henry was going to end up in foster care. “Do you um, is there someone you’re staying with just now?” “I’m okay.” Henry’s feet scuffed the ground a little, and he shrugged, but he probably wasn’t all the way okay. “My aunt’s staying with me now, and she wants me to go back with her. She lives in a farmhouse. There’s no TV or internet. And she’s sending me to science camp for the summer.” Which was basically like a death sentence to an eleven-year-almost-twelve-year-old kid. He was not looking forward to it. But wait. He glanced up, between the three adults. Something was going on. “So when you say you’re family, you mean...by blood? Is it like where Iron Man thought he was Howard and Maria Stark’s kid for so long and then it turned out he didn’t know who his real parents were? And he had a brother who is an alien?” Oh shit, this was escalating quickly. Neal laughed a little, rubbing his forehead. He looked over at Regina. Then Emma. Back to the sky (give us answers!). To Emma again. Should they tell Henry? He wouldn’t just word vomit, not without at least sort of being on the same page. “You don’t have a brother, kiddo,” he shook his head. “Not that I know of, anyway.” Science camp? What kind of load of crap was that? It almost looked like Regina had been about to utter those words exactly, but her expression said everything as she, very wisely, held her tongue. ‘Science camp’ seemed more like a tactic to get him out of this so-called aunt’s hair. Even his description of his new ‘home’ had bored her to tears. And since he used comic books as an example of things, Regina had to kind of laugh too. Ever the comic nerd, even in this reality. From Iron Man, to Hulk, to Wolverine. “And if you did, he wouldn’t be an alien,” she assured, smirking. “But you’re smart. And close. Blood’s on the money.” Didn’t matter if she was helping the conversation along in that particular direction, Henry would eventually put two and two together. He was clever, observant, and very….blunt. Clearing her throat, she returned that look to Neal, then to Emma, and just gave them an expression that said he’ll figure out eventually, just out with it. Definitely no brother. But it wasn’t like Henry wasn’t smart enough, and three adults just showing up out of nowhere to check up on him? After one already gave him a wad of money the last time and Emma knew they weren’t leaving him without some method of contact and to make sure he was okay. Because no tv or internet? Science camp? A farmhouse -okay, Emma would’ve liked the farmhouse, maybe not at his age, but a farmhouse would’ve been pretty cool. “Um, I am… I’m… I gave birth to you. I’m your biological mom...mother, parent.” Rambling, she was going to start rambling. “Um, Neal is… well, he’s your biological father,” was there a reason she was compelled to add in biological ever time? “When you were born, we were young, and we didn’t know how to take care of you,” they didn’t even know each other, but there was no need to go into the fact that she and Neal had screwed around and rather foolishly hadn’t considered the repercussions of it. “I um… I was adopted, and… I knew I couldn’t give you a decent life, so…” Any time anyone else wanted to jump in, Emma was good with that. “So um… now here we are.” Seriously, someone… Emma was close to imploring Neal or Regina around about now, even if she couldn’t look Henry in the eye for pure agonising fear that he’d be mad or bitter or any other horrible thing she could imagine. Thank fuck it was all out there in the open. Neal exhaled with sheer relief, and he reached over to place his hands on Emma’s shoulders, to give them a reassuring squeeze. Because that, what she just told Henry, was not a simple or easy thing to say. “Emma wanted to give you your best chance,” he told the kid, and it may have sounded familiar - to them, anyway. To him, it was all new. “But when she told me that you were our son...I wanted to find you. We all did. That’s why we’re here, to see that you’re fine and also...because we’re proud of you. Proud that of who you turned out to be.” Everything was getting blurry, and he quickly rubbed his burning eyes with the back of his hand. Henry was crying a little too, but he was too stubborn and grown up (or so he thought) to show it. “So you’re my dad,” he said, voice quivering. “And Emma’s my mom. And Regina is...” “She’s, you know, Aunt Regina,” Neal jumped in. “She’s like a sister to me.” Well, it was close enough. Did it count because his father and her mother had done the do? Ew. Henry accepted the titles, at least, his fist still clenched around the keychain. He’d have to think about what everything else meant later, but a new family couldn’t be a bad thing, right? “Did you come to take me with you? Because I’ll go. I wanna go.” Don’t make him go to the farmhouse, please! Aunt Regina. Well, it admittedly stung a bit, but what did it matter? She hadn’t adopt him, hadn’t raised him, had no right to crave the mom title even if that’s what he called her over yonder. Having all those memories of raising him didn’t exactly help the case either, but there was nothing to do aside to keep feelings separate. Because no matter what the hell she was to Henry here, she still loved him - loved him like he was her own, and that wouldn’t change. “Aunt,” she agreed, the smile terribly forced but that’s what they had to go with. Even the confession had her stomach in knots, uneasiness seeping in when she was usually kept together and collected, quipping with remarks of sarcasm. Henry had this habit of turning it all to mush. “We can’t...exactly take you with us, not legally,” she informed, though with the way he was practically begging Regina had been tempted to say fuck the law and buy the boy a ticket with them. Though now that the ones who adopted him were deceased, what did it mean? Could Emma and Neal try for custody? Henry was of age to tell the courts what he wanted to do, didn’t he? Gears and wheels turned in her head, and hope was set ablaze. “But if I were you, I wouldn’t be all that excited about a farmhouse either, so…” A glance back to the other two adults in this entire thing because what the fuck did they want to do? It was just an emotional up and down right then, and with Henry obviously a little distressed and hopeful all at once, Emma wasn’t far off on just wanting to bundle him up and take him with them. For all that she felt bad that Regina was depicted as aunt when she was just as much a mother to Henry as the people who raised him here. But hearing the word mom directed to her from his mouth just caused a flop in her stomach all the same. Legally they couldn’t do anything, not yet. They could just talk to him and explain things, maybe see what their options were. “We could… I mean, we can’t do anything right now, but we could see about, um, guardianship?” Technically she’d given up her parental rights when she’d signed him over for adoption, and she’d never known Neal’s full name to put him on a birth certificate, even if it was sealed. But surely if Henry didn’t want to go with his adoptive aunt, then there were things that they could do to petition for guardianship or something, she had no idea just what she’d need to do. Glancing up at Neal, giving his knee a squeeze in return for the support there, “We could look into options now. The three of us could… we could figure something out?” Especially if Henry wasn’t running off calling them strangers and refusing to talk to them. It might not have been what they’d originally figured this trip was going to be, but… As much as Neal knew that Regina was technically Henry’s mom too, it was just better for all of them right now if they stuck to the titles that didn’t lead to an explanation of other realities and ‘dreams.’ They could tell Henry eventually (he had to see what the OC was like first), that she had been his mother in another life, but just not right now. It was too much, baby steps had to be taken here. Even if he’d understand when he was told because, well, he was just a kid who believed in things like that. The Truest Believer, in any life. He just didn’t want the kid’s brain to explode at the moment. “We’ll figure something out,” he concurred with the others. “We promise, Henry. We’ll be here for a couple of days before we go back to California, but we’ll do what we can, okay? Even across the states.” The mention of California seemed to perk him up a little. “Like Disneyland?” He didn’t want to wait. He didn’t plan to wait. Because he was impatient, and he also didn’t want to go to science camp. Mind already whirring with plans, he just needed to know where he was going to buy a bus ticket to, with that lump of cash sitting in the bank. “Like Disneyland,” she concurred, still thinking mostly about all the legal hoops they’d actually have to go through. And ‘they’ meaning the actual parents. Or maybe mostly Emma, who was probably the only name listed on that locked away birth certificate. Something to think about and research, and she knew a couple people back home qualified to at least help. Regina would look into it. Aggressively. By the balls. Sighing, she gripped the boy’s shoulders this time, a little more comfortable now that he was under the impression that she was his aunt, and squeezed. “I think I very much speak for all of us when I say all we want to do is take you with us, right now, but it’s a little more complicated than that. But we will do something to make this work. Like Neal said, it’s a promise. Until then, we’ll...leave behind our contact information. In case something happens while we try to figure this out.” She had a business card somewhere, in her wallet. It had an address, e-mail, phone number. Even if he wouldn’t have internet there were other ways. Disneyland, San Diego, San Francisco, Malibu, California in general they could really branch out and enjoy, and if he’d lived in Boston his whole life, then Emma knew he’d get a kick out of the adventures available in sunny California. If only they could work it out. Emma just grinned and nodded, because out of the three of them, Regina possibly had the best contacts to really get through any red tape that might crop up in order to get them some kind of rights with Henry. “Yeah, you can call and text and skype, you know when you have… internet.” Okay, that was a little bit of a downer, scratch the earlier thinking, farmhouses suck. “Maybe between now and figuring it out we can arrange a visit for you too,” depending on how happy adoptive relative lady was about Henry heading off to the great wide world with strange people, potentially problematic, but something to work on. “Or we could come back and see you.” And Emma would happily wipe out her meagre savings to do so. Henry took the business card, making sure to carefully slip it into his pocket. He would definitely need it later. Then at the shoulder squeeze from Regina he just went right for the hug since it was okay - he was an affectionate kid anyway but young; he’d lost his parents and having another family come see him was cool and all, if a little confusing, but he was still just a scared kid who was about to face the unknown. Since both Emma and Regina were on the bench, he tried to get them both in the hug at the same time. Neal chuckled, his throat feeling thick with some kind of frog stuck there, and reached over to fondly ruffle Henry’s hair. “If for some reason the visit out to Cali doesn’t work, then we’ll definitely be back,” he said. They were all a team, the three of them, an unconventional parenting team, but it worked well. He too was willing to dump out savings and stuff, work extra hours, save up, whatever. Especially if the wedding wasn’t going to be as grandiose as they originally thought. The money had to go somewhere, and Henry was a good reason to spend. “We’ll walk you back home now though?” he offered. “I’m sure if you don’t show up soon people will worry.” For a split second it physically hurt to let Henry go, the hug one of the most unexpected things to ever come from this trip but she returned it - poured her entire heart into it - and released him with a set mind. They would get him out of here. Regina didn’t have a doubt. The three of them could pool resources, she’d dip into her emergency reserve if she had to with no regrets. Getting a little teary-eyed (Henry was always the one that had kind of that effect on her, and maybe Cora, but she was for all the wrong reasons), she stood from the bench after the whole ‘group hug with intense feelings’ debacle and dabbed the edges of her eyes, careful not to smear that precise make up. “I’m good for a walk,” she concurred, spirits a bit lifted. All four of them, like some possible semi-dysfunctional kind of family. “And if there’s somehow a comic book store along the way, you might actually convince us to get you a couple things to make that science camp a little more bearable.” Or the entire store. Henry could point at everything and Regina would very much get him everything, credit cards maxed and all. The hug was a surprise, a good surprise but still a surprise, and emotionally Emma was going a little haywire, trying her best to keep things from getting weepy and pathetic. Standing up along with the others, tight almost weepy smile in place, Emma tried to fix her hair and readjust. It probably felt a little easier than it should, she’d gotten so used to having Henry in her dreams, of clashing with Regina that missing this space in her had almost been normal. So filling it like this so naturally, just the easy way Henry not only accepted them but was openly willing to allow the affection, it was enough to settle those nerves a little. They would figure it out, whatever they could to involve Henry in their lives, in any way they could be included in his. She and Neal could add their details to his collection and if they took the long way to wherever he was heading, then it was okay, right? Giving Henry’s shoulders a quick squeeze in a half hug, Emma tried to keep herself from clinging to anything just to hang on. “You got a place nearby that we could detour through?” Regina wasn’t the only one that wanted to spoil him a little, and if they could prolong things then she’d edge for that too. Oh hell, they were going to clean out the whole goddamn store, and would need to hire a truck to transport the sheer number of comic books back to Henry’s place. Neal could tell already, judging by the way Henry’s face lit up like the clouds had parted and a ray of sun shone down. “Yeah!” He was already itchy to go check out the new releases he’d been meaning to - being of the technological age, he had an app on his phone for such things. Duh. “Age of Ultron versus Marvel Zombies just came out, and - “ That pretty much set him off. The kid was off and running. “Plus Daredevil, and All New Captain America, and - “ The little comic book shop was close to his school, and sometimes he’d hang out there after classes were done. Or before classes started. Sometimes he was late to school. Um, but whatever. Neal just followed along, half in the present and half thinking about how the hell this was going to work out, but he had to take a page from his own son’s book and believe. They all did, or else, well, then they really hadn’t learned anything at all. |