Save Emma

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The night before Emma's funeral, Regina tossed and turned, unable to calm her mind long enough to fall asleep. Henry had crawled into bed with her sometime around midnight, curling up in her arms, while he cried himself to sleep. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Emma's face, smiling back at her. By the time the alarm went off at seven o'clock, her eyes were already bloodshot from sleep deprivation. Gently waking Henry, she urged him towards the shower, before making her way downstairs to start the much needed coffee, adding extra grinds, hoping the extra caffeine would help her through the difficult day ahead. She distracted herself by making Henry breakfast, before retreating back upstairs to take a shower herself, stopping momentarily in front of Henry's closed bedroom door.

"Henry?" Regina asked, knocking lightly on the door.

"Yeah." Henry asked quietly from behind the door.

"I made you some breakfast. It's on the stove when you're ready. I'm going to take a shower. I should be down in plenty of time." Regina said, waiting for a response.

"Ok." Henry finally said, in a voice barely above a whisper. Upon receiving Henry's one word response, she quickly made her way to the master bathroom, shedding her robe and tossing it on the bed as she walked by.

As soon as she stepped under the warm spray of the shower, she immediately began to weep uncontrollably. Ever since Emma's passing a few days prior, Regina has not been able to think of anything else but the younger woman, grief and sorrow crashing over her in waves. She was generally able to keep her composure when around other people, but when she was alone, she would break down, weeping for the loss of her friend.

Regina went through the motions of drying and styling her hair, opting for a light and modest makeup application, before stepping into the conservative black dress she purchased for the occasion. By the time she made it back downstairs, she found Henry seated at the island in the kitchen, picking at his half eaten plate of scrambled eggs, not lifting his head when she walked past him towards the coffee pot.

"I couldn't get the tie right." Henry said sadly, a stray tear falling from his eye.

"It's ok. I'll fix it." She said, making her way to her son, fixing his awkwardly tied tie.

"Thanks, Mom." Henry said, looking at Regina in the eyes, not even looking at the state of his tie.

"Of course. That's what I'm here for." Regina said, making one final adjustment.

"No, not for the tie. I mean, yeah, thanks for helping me with my tie. But more, thank you for...everything." Henry said, tears filling his eyes.

"You never have to thank me, Henry. I'm your mother. I would do anything for you, my Little Prince." Regina said, holding the sides of Henry's face, kissing him lightly on the forehead.

"I'm scared, Mom." Henry said, tears falling down his cheeks.

"Scared of what?" Regina asked, taking a sip of her coffee, looking at Henry with concern.

"I'm scared to say goodbye to her." Henry said finally, sobbing once.

"Then don't say goodbye." Regina said, causing Henry to look at her with confusion. "Tell her something else. Tell her..." Regina thought quickly. "Tell her that you'll see her later. Much much later." Regina said, causing Henry to stop frowning.

"Yeah. I'll tell her 'See you later'" Henry said, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"And just because she's not with us physically, she'll always keep living within us. Within all of us. She'll continue to live in our hearts and in our minds." Regina said, tears forming in her eyes. "And just because you can't see her, or feel her, or hear her, doesn't mean you can't talk to her. I want to believe that wherever Emma is now, she can hear us. Don't ever stop talking to her. She will always be your mother." Regina said, as the tears escaped her eyes and fell onto her lap.