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When Henry ran away from home, terror gripped Regina’s heart. The sort of terror that she hadn’t felt since she had watched her mother literally grip Daniel’s heart: the terror of knowing that the only person that she truly cared about was in danger, and she could do nothing about it.
She had known that Henry was having problems, of course. He had grown distant lately, and, at first, Regina had assumed that it was the start of his teenage rebellion phase. God knows that she had been plenty rebellious as a teenager, but she liked to think that she was a better mother than her own mother had been, and so, hopefully, Henry’s rebellion wouldn’t include things like him banishing her into an alternate reality the way that Regina’s relationship with her own mother had ended.
But then, Henry had started saying things about her being the “Evil Queen” who had cursed the town, and Regina’s heart sank. No woman likes hearing her son call her evil, but the title of “Evil Queen” was something more personal. A dark part of Regina’s past that she was trying to move on from. Yes, she still kept an entire kingdom of people locked in a curse that made them forget who they were, but Regina was focusing on being a good mother. So to hear the one person that she had never done any harm to, the one person that she always wanted to look at her with adoration, call her that title. For Henry to look at her with fear and disgust…it broke her heart.
Of course, she denied it. She tried to convince Henry that it was all in his imagination and that she was nothing more than the Mayor of a small town in coastal Maine. But it didn’t take, and now Henry had run off to who knows where. Regina had her thrall, the Sheriff, scouring the town for any trace of him, but there was nothing, and all she could imagine was Henry being lost and alone somewhere. That this was when her son needed his mother the most, and in that moment of need, her dark past kept her from him.
That’s why it was such a relief to get a call from Boston CPS saying that they had Henry and they needed her to come pick him up at one of the downtown police stations.
“Of course,” she said, “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
She considered bringing the Sheriff with her, but it would take too long to shift the magic of the curse to allow him to leave the town. In that same amount of time, she could get to Boston, and she wasn’t sure Henry—or her conscience—could wait that long.
So, Regina left on her own and broke several traffic laws to make it to Boston that evening. It was late by the time she arrived, and she was sure that the CPS agent was not happy at having to wait for her.
When she entered the police station, Regina didn’t look at anyone else. “Henry!” She tried to sweep him into a hug, but he shied away from her and hid behind a tall, blonde woman.
“You must be Ms. Mills,” the woman said, offering a hand to shake. “Ms. Summers.”
“Yes,” said Regina as she took the woman’s hand. “Is Henry alright?”
“Physically, he’s fine,” Ms. Summers said, “but I’d like to talk to you about what made him run away.”
Regina shook her head. “It’s late; I need to take him home. Let’s arrange something for tomorrow, or maybe next week.”
Ms. Summers shook her head in return. “It doesn’t work that way. You see, when a kid runs away from home and runs this far, there’s a reason behind it. And, without knowing the reason, we can’t be sure it won’t happen again. I’m the one they call in for these sorts of cases, and I say that we talk now.” Ms. Summers leveled a flat, steely look at Regina.
Regina deflated. She didn’t have the energy to fight this. One quick chat, and she’d take Henry home. “Okay.”
“Greg,” called Ms. Summers, “keep an eye on Henry, will ya?”
The sergeant at the front desk offered a lazy salute in response. “You got it, Emma!”
Ms. Summers led Regina into one of the interrogation rooms. Regina didn’t like the look of that, but she also knew how to pick her battles.
They sat on opposite sides of a cold, metal table and, for a moment, neither said anything. Ms. Summers laid a notebook open on the table and pulled out a pen that she held over the paper while looking at Regina expectantly, but Regina said nothing. This was a fight that Regina knew well, and she knew better than to give ground by speaking first.
The two of them stared at each other for a few heartbeats before Ms. Summers broke. “Do you know why Henry ran away?”
Straight to the point, then. “No,” Regina said.
Ms. Summers’ eyes narrowed. “It has nothing to do with you being the ‘Evil Queen.’”
Regina sighed. “Probably,” she admitted, “but I have no idea where he got that notion.”
Ms. Summers was silent for a moment before speaking again. “Sometimes, kids speak in metaphors. They might say something that means something else because they don’t know how to say what they really mean. You can’t think of anything you’ve done that might metaphorically make you the ‘Evil Queen?’”
“No,” Regina said. “I’ve been the best mother to Henry I could possibly be.”
Ms. Summers' eyebrows raised slightly, but then narrowed again. “And there’s nothing he might have seen you do to someone else that might have screamed ‘Evil Queen.”
Regina shrugged. “Maybe some of my dealings as mayor. Politics gets ugly sometimes, even in a sleepy rural town. But I’ve never done anything ‘Evil’ to anyone in town.”
Ms. Summers’ eyes narrowed, but then she brightened and asked in a light tone. “So, you didn’t curse the entire town to forget who they are? Because it’s not the first time I’ve heard the story of an evil sorcerer creating an entire town to fuel their dark magic while they pretend to be the mayor.”
“Of course not,” Regina responded with a snort.
Ms. Summers nodded and wrote something down in her notebook. “And you’ve been treating Henry well.”
Regina nodded. “Of course! He’s doing well in school, and I help him with his homework when he needs it. He’s well fed—healthy food, I keep him away from junk food except for special treats. I’ve been trying to strike a balance between being interested in his hobbies but not smothering him. Maybe I’m not perfect, but I’m doing a hell of a lot better than my mother did. When he started to become…difficult recently, I arranged for him to see a therapist.”
Ms. Summers interrupted. “He’s been seeing a therapist?”
Regina winced. “Yes. I thought it was just him turning into a teenager, and I’ve heard that children who are adopted sometimes have more difficulties. Did he tell you he’s adopted? I’ve never kept it a secret from him, but we don’t discuss it much. I just wanted to make sure he had all of the support he needed, even if that support wasn’t me.” Regina cut off her rambling defense of taking Henry to a therapist. She hoped it came off more as a caring mother doing what she could for Henry than a woman pushed beyond her capability to care for the boy.
Ms. Summers was silent for a moment. “He did tell me he was adopted.” She flipped through the pages in the back of her notebook and pulled out a form. “Can you fill this out? It’s a release for me to speak with his therapist. I’d like to hear from him, and coordination of care might be helpful for Henry.”
“Of course,” Regina said, quickly filled out the form, and then handed it back. “Is there anything else you need?”
Ms. Summers tapped her fingers on the table. “I’d like to tell you a story,” she said eventually. “I was actually adopted as well when I was about Henry’s age. It’s part of how I ended up in this line of work: so I could help kids like me. I see a lot of myself in Henry.”
“If you think it will help Henry,” Regina said.
“I do,” Ms. Summers said. “The family that adopted me had a daughter…well, two daughters. One older, one younger. I didn’t get along with them at first, but eventually they became my sisters.”
“You think Henry might need siblings?” Regina asked.
“Perhaps,” Ms. Summers said. “But that’s not the point. You see, even kids who live with their bio parents sometimes have strange and unique difficulties. I had been with the Summers for a few years by this point, and my sister, Buffy, was in high school. She started to grow distant, staying out late, and getting into fights. My parents were worried about her, but they were also weirdly relieved that I, the adopted one, was the easier teen.”
“But I was worried about her too,” Ms. Summers continued. “So, one night, when I saw her sneaking out, instead of telling Mom, I followed her. What I saw that night changed everything. I found out that my sister wasn’t some rebellious teen; she was a mystical warrior. A Vampire Slayer.”
Regina rose to her feet. “This is ridiculous. Vampires are–”
Ms. Summers rose her her feet as well and raised her hand. A flash of brilliant white light filled the room and physically forced Regina back down into her seat. “Sit. Down.”
Regina gaped in horror at Ms. Summers as the other woman calmly straightened her pantsuit and then slowly sat back down. That was magic. Real magic. Not the tiny dribbles of leftover magic that Regina had snuck into this world, but the strength of a properly trained sorceress.
“I found out about my magic that night as well,” Ms. Summers continued. “A vampire tried to attack me. To eat me or to use me against Buffy, I don’t know. But, when it attacked me, light burst from my hands and turned it to ash.”
“I’ve learned a lot about my magic since then. Including the fact that some of my strongest abilities are more subtle. I didn’t realize it until later, but I’ve always been able to tell when people were lying. And, Ms. Mills, when you said you had no idea why Henry called you the ‘Evil Queen,’ you were lying.”
Regina gulped. Lie detection wasn’t a common magical ability, but it was known. And this woman had clearly demonstrated that she had magic. “I love Henry,” she said firmly, staring at the other woman.
“I believe you. I also believe that you have been a good mother to him. I also believe that you cursed the entire town that you live in and are very used to being called the ‘Evil Queen.’”
Regina bowed her head and didn’t say anything. Dimly, she noticed a wet feeling on her cheek.
“I did everything I could to help Buffy after that night,” Ms. Summers continued as though her story hadn’t been interrupted. “I learned more about my magic. I learned more about vampires. I learned more about demons. I learned more about the darkness in the world.”
Ms. Summers smirked. “Of course, rebellious teens who think they know more than their parents, we didn’t say a word to them about it. Maybe if we had, we could have avoided Sunnydale.”
“What’s Sunnydale?” Regina couldn’t help but choke out as she looked up.
“A small town on the coast created by an evil sorcerer to fuel his dark magic while he pretended to be mayor,” Ms. Summers said flatly. “California instead of Maine, and he created the town to fuel his transformation into a demon instead of whatever it is you’re doing. Henry seems to think it’s some sort of revenge plot against Snow White.”
Regina simply nodded.
“Was it worth it?”
Regina shrugged.
Ms. Summers frowned but nodded. “We beat him, and a lot of other bad guys. It wasn’t always easy, especially when good guys turned bad.” She paused and then continued more softly. “Or when bad guys turned good.”
“That’s why they sent you,” Regina whispered. “You didn’t mean runaways when you said, ‘these sorts of cases.’”
“I didn’t,” Ms. Summers confirmed.
“You’re here in case…what? We need to have a magic brawl?”
“I’ve been in my share of witch fights,” Ms. Summers confirmed. “Won more than I’ve lost. But, no. I have experience in helping people detox from black magic. Sometimes, when someone comes to us with a family member who’s been using black magic, they’re contaminated and need help cleansing.”
Regina’s eyes widened in panic, and her spine straightened. “You think Henry is…”
“Henry is fine,” Ms. Summers assured her. “You haven’t corrupted him.”
Regina sagged with relief.
“He was, however, worried about you,” Ms. Summers said. “He didn’t say it that way, just that you were the Evil Queen. But I had time to talk with him. He realizes that, despite your flaws, you’ve been a good mother to him. He didn’t realize it was an option, but he wants you clean.”
“It’s too late for me,” Regina whispered. “I’ve done too much, blackened my heart.”
“Eh,” Ms. Summers shrugged. “I’ve seen worse. There’s people with kill counts in the thousands who’ve found their way to being a better person. And I’m not talking about ‘I ordered their deaths’ kind of kill counts. I’m talking about them personally, by hand, murdering thousands of people. It takes a lot of work, but people have clawed their way back from that kind of evil.”
“I killed my father,” Regina confessed. “To power the curse, I had to crush the heart of the thing I loved most, and my father was the only person I still loved. So I killed him.”
“My sister’s ex killed his mother,” Ms. Summers said. “He thought he was saving her, but he was just corrupting her, and he had to put her down for good. That was the start of his reign of terror. 100 years of him murdering his way across the world. Now, he’s a cheesy goofball who loves soap operas. His sins still weigh on him, but he’s making up for it.”
“And what? You can just forgive him because you don’t know the people he hurt?”
“He tried to kill me when we first met,” Ms. Summers said. “And several times after that. I watched him kill a lot of innocent people. But I also watched him change. I watched him try to be better. I watched him suffer for it as he clawed his way out of the pit of evil he had dug for himself. When I met him? He was one of the most terrifying people I've ever had the displeasure of meeting. Now?” She checked her watch. “He’s reading bad poetry at an open mic night that I would have been at if I hadn’t found an excuse not to be.”
Ms. Summers paused and then winced. “Don’t tell him I said that. He puts a lot of effort into his poems, and I try to be supportive.”
“And you can just…forgive like that?” Regina asked.
“You have to,” Ms. Summers said. “It’s the only way to break the cycle. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. In any case, I’ve had my own brush with darkness myself.”
Regina raised an eyebrow. “You? Ms. ‘Light Magic’ has touched the darkness.”
“My mom died, and then Buffy died,” Ms. Summers said. “I wasn’t in a good place. I dabbled in some things that I shouldn’t have, ran off out of town for a bit, got pregnant with some guy I barely knew, nearly landed in prison because he was a jewel thief or something, it wasn’t a good time.”
“Your baby,” Regina asked, horrified, “did the black magic…”
“He was fine,” Ms. Summers said. “I only dabbled in the dark stuff, not enough to affect him. But, I was juggling caring for my little sister before a friend who was deeper into the black magic than I realized resurrected my sister, and she was not doing well.”
Regina sat up straight. “Resurrection,” she breathed, “you know someone who figured it out.”
“No,” Ms. Summers said firmly.
“But…”
“NO. Buffy was not okay when she came back. We didn’t realize how rough it was for her at the time, but she never should have been brought back. She’s doing better now, but she was suicidal for a while because she wanted to go back to Heaven. She was convinced Earth was Hell for a bit. I don’t know who you want to bring back, but it isn’t worth it. It’s not fair to them.”
Regina bowed her head, and her tears flowed freely. “Daniel,” she breathed, “I’ve tried so hard. Looked for so long.”
“He was the start of your darkness?” Ms. Summers asked softly. “The death that started everything.”
Regina bobbed her head without saying anything.
“You need to let him go,” Ms. Summers said. “It’s best for him, and it’s best for you.”
Regina sobbed and only dimly noticed Ms. Summers grabbing her hand. They sat without speaking for a few more moments.
“I think I understand,” Regina said eventually. “The point of your story. You actually think I can walk away from it. From being the Evil Queen.”
“I do,” Ms. Summers said.
“Tell me what I need to do,” Regina said. “You don’t need to tell me the rest of your life story.”
“What I need you to do,” Ms. Summers said, “is listen to the rest of my life story.”
“Ms. Summers…” Regina started to say.
“Emma,” Ms. Summers—Emma, corrected. “And I haven’t gotten to the important part. Our stories are more intertwined than you realize. You see, when I was pregnant, CPS was involved because of my sister, my younger sister, Dawn. She was still a minor, and we were honestly struggling at the time. Buffy, some friends, and I managed to convince them to not take Dawn away, but my baby was different. We later found out that they cut some corners and didn’t go through the courts the way they should have, but by the time we were ready to fight them, my son was gone. Evil didn’t rest in that town, so we didn’t have the time to hunt down his trail, and by the time we did, the town was destroyed, and along with it, the adoption and custody records that could tell us where he went. All we knew was that he had been taken to New England and was adopted through Boston to some small town in the general region.”
“Henry,” Regina breathed.
“Henry,” Emma confirmed.
“You didn’t just get called in for the case,” Regina said, “he came looking for you.”
“He did,” Emma said. “No idea how he found me. I had put the feelers out that I was looking for my son, but not with the kind of people that he would have been talking to. He’s a smart kid.”
“So,” Regina said, “after all that talk about how I can be better, you’re going to take away the one person who’s worth the effort.”
“No,” Emma said.
“No?”
“I might be his mother,” Emma said, “but you’re his Mom. He’s your son, too.”
Regina let out a shuddering breath that turned into a sob. “Just like that, after everything I’ve done, you’ll let me keep him?”
“Remember, I was adopted, too,” Emma said. “I know how an adopted Mother turns into a Mom without you realizing it. Even when you fight it. Henry needs a stable home.” Emma sighed. “Trust me, I’ve seen a lot worse places for kids to be. Get clean, and we’ll raise him together. Come on.” Emma stood and offered Regina her hand.
Regina took the offered hand and was led into the lobby of the police station, where Henry was playing cards with the sergeant at the desk. When he saw them, Henry straightened and cautiously asked, “Mom?”
Regina expected Emma to step forward, but instead, the woman nudged Regina forward. Regina hugged Henry like her life depended on it, and was relieved to find that Henry returned the hug, even if a bit tentatively.
“Uh,” Henry said. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, kid,” Emma said softly. “I think we worked things out.”
Henry brightened and then said, “So we can go back to Storybrook and break the curse so Grandma and Grandpa remember?”
Regina’s head popped up. “What? Your grandparents aren’t…”
“Actually,” Emma said from behind her, “I didn’t tell you the whole story.”
Regina turned around to look at the wincing Emma and raised an eyebrow.
“From what Henry tells me, it starts with Snow White and Prince Charming…”