“Chocolate frosted donuts?” Regina asks, leaning back from her work when Henry sets the box down.
“And coffee.” He sets a large paper cup in front of her. “I know you like coffee.”He makes a face and she grins.
“Thank you.”
He hovers in front of her desk, almost as if he’s not ready to sit down. Something’s bothering him. He’s been overprotective since he came back. Maybe it’s the car accident, or the other her told him something that has him on edge.
“Let’s sit,” she says, grabbing a donut with a napkin and her coffee and tilting her head towards the sofa. “We haven’t had much time to talk.”
“You’ve been fussing.” He grabs his own donut, sets down his backpack and flops down on the sofa. “The queen said you would.”
“Mal’s still healing.” Those awful dark bruises around Mal’s eyes still haven’t faded and the cut on her forehead is still healing.
“I know, it’s cool” He takes a bite and then smirks at her, his mouth full of donut. “You’re kind of cute.”
“I’m glad we amuse you.” She takes a more restrained bit of her own donut and sips her coffee. “I’m glad it’s all right with you.”
“Yeah, it’s cool. We covered LGBT stuff in health class, and social studies. I get it.” He licks frosting off his finger and stares ahead. “It is kinda funny though. She has Robin, and you did, before, and now you’re with Mal. The other you, the queen, she said if things were different, maybe she’d be with Mal and you’d be with Robin.”
Her heart aches with familiar pain and she blinks. Robin’s death will always be with her, even now. “It’s possible.”
“Not everyone gets to actually date both at once,” he teases. “When we talked about labels, most people dated one then the other.”
“Most people don’t have another them.”
“They’re happy for you, both of you, and both of them.” He sighs, trying to untangle his words.” Robin and Mom are happy you and Mal are happy.”
“And vice versa.” Robin and the other her have a uncomplicated relationship in a way she could never have with that version of him. She misses him too much.
He sets his donut down and looks at her. “Is anyone not happy?”
Regina studies his face, those eyes are so ancient sometimes. “What do you mean?”
“Dating women wasn’t really a thing in the old world, right? There aren’t any stories in the book about it. No princesses rescuing other princesses, no lady knights. No kings who fell in love with their knights in shining armor.” Henry crumples his napkin in his hand. “Is anyone going to be rude?”
“Here?” Regina took a moment to think. “No on’s said anything.” She touched his shoulder, hugging him. “Not that they’d dare. I’m the mayor, and Mal, well, she’s equally terrifying.”
He leans into her and laughs. “She finds the vacuum cleaner amusing and doesn’t understand the internet.”
“No one knows that but us.” She kisses his forehead. “Thanks for worrying about us.”
“You’re my mom, she’s my- well- step-dragon?”
“Not yet.”
“But?” He’s far too wise to be looking at her like that.
“Eat your donut.”
“Robin and the queen are getting married.”
“She told me.” Regina’s cheeks burn a little. The other her really has no restraint at all.
“You could.”
“We just came out!” she says, laughing to quell the growing knot of cold in her stomach. “We’re happy.”
“I’m glad. It’s pretty cool that you can both be happy. Her with Robin, you with Mal.” He picks up his donut again. “But you let me know if anyone’s mean to you.”
“I will.” Regina takes a long drink of her coffee and wishes her pulse would slow. “There’s is nothing in your book, is there?”
“Nothing.”
“Not even Maleficent and Briar Rose?”
“She’s barely in the book at all, just a evil dragon for Grandpa to defeat to help Grandma.” He finishes his donut and reaches for another one. “And she wasn’t even that evil.”
“Briar Rose broke her heart. You should ask her about it, she’ll tell it better than I would.”
“Really?”
He’s growing so fast she won’t even chide him about the second donut. “Mal fell in love with her, and Rose with her, but Rose was beautiful,, and she’d been noticed by a prince.”
“This isn’t in the book.”
“Well, maybe you’ll just have to write another one. Include some dragons who love princesses and queens, maybe Ursula and Cruella, Dorothy and Ruby, I’m sure if you looked, you could find some stories about kings and their brave, handsome knights.”
“Cool.” He rests his chin on her shoulder, just for a moment. “I think that would be an important book for some kids.”
“It definitely would have meant a lot to me as a child.”
“Okay then.” He beams at her. “I know what I’ll start working on. Starting with the tale of the brave queen turned mayor and her totally sappy love affair with the dragon who loves vacuums.”
She kisses his forehead, laughing. “A very important story.”
“One with a happy ending, I hope.”
“Maybe even a wedding.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Well, if the other me is having one…” She sighs, smiling. “Can’t let her have all the fun.”