Operation Cobra (Book Two of The Savior Fables)

Chapter Three: The Thing You Love Most, Part I

Regina does everything in her power to force Emma and Harry out of Storybrooke and out of her and Henry's lives forever.

*TW: Vague mentions of Harry's abuse at the hands of the Dursleys. It's a small mention, but it's still there.*

***

Regina, eyes cold as she turned the page of Henry's storybook, sighed angrily. On the page, the wedding of Snow White and Prince Charming was in progress as the Evil Queen, with a hand out, yelled across the hall. Snow and Charming stood together, both in white, a united front. Prince Charming's sword in mid-flight toward the Queen. Regina turned the page, eyes narrowing when she saw the bind of the book; there were ragged pieces of torn-out pages along the edge. She slammed the cover of the book closed as she walked from her office and into Henry's room, where he was getting ready for school.

"The missing pages, where are they?" she asked.

Henry turned to her with an unimpressed look. "It's an old book, stuff's missing. What do you care?"

Regina huffed in irritation. "I care because you think I'm some evil queen. And that hurts me, Henry. I'm your mother."

She reached out to touch his face, but he shook her off and moved away from her. "No, you're not," he denied as he looked away from her.

Regina, extremely irritated, slammed her hand on Henry's desk. "Well, then, who is? That woman you brought here? I don't like what she or this book is doing to you. Thankfully both are no longer an issue," she told him, and looked at her son, who looked at the ground, shifting his weight onto his other foot. Regina scowled, hand on her hip. "What?"

Outside, the clock tower chimed. Regina turned her head toward the sound, shocked. Henry took the offered chance and walked out of his room, grabbing his backpack on the way.

***

Emma woke the next morning to Harry's scream. She rolled over immediately, now completely awake, and only after grabbing her wand, did she realize that Harry was still asleep. She breathed out a sigh of relief.

Only a nightmare.

She walked to the other bed in the room, softly grabbing Harry's wrists, which were hitting everything they could as he kicked and squirmed. "Shh, shh, Harry. It's okay, it's okay, you're safe, kid. You're not with them anymore. You're with Mom, buddy." She lifted him softly into her lap, rocking him back and forth, running her fingers through his unruly mass of curls. She kissed his head as he calmed. "There we go, kiddo," she sighed, wishing she could take every bad thing those bastards had done to him before she rescued him.

"Mum?" He whispered, tears falling from his eyes as he buried his head in her neck.

"I'm here, kiddo. I'm not going anywhere, Harry. Never," she told him, kissing his head as a knock came at the door. "Come in!" she called, already having a good idea about who was at the door.

It creaked open quietly, and Newt poked his head around the frame, intelligent eyes narrowed as he scanned the room. When he saw mother and son curled around each other like a lioness and her cub, his expression softened and he stepped fully into the room, his wand disappearing up his sleeve with a flick of his wrist. "Oh, little one," he sighed sadly, Queenie already in tears as she followed Newt.

"It was my uncle again, Mum," Harry whispered, trembling. "He was using me as an ashtray!" he cried out.

His voice trembled with hysterics, and immediately Emma was rubbing his back and fighting back tears of her own. "It's okay, Harry. You're not with him anymore. You're safe with me, Aunt Queenie and Uncle Newt, bud. You're okay," Emma soothed, and Queenie, with tears in her eyes, came over to the bed where Harry and Emma were, wrapping her arms around the both of them as Newt did the same on the other side of Emma.