Heartstrings

Chapter 1: Love Is a Battlefield

"I hate you! You're not my mom! Emma is my mom!" was the last thing she heard her son, Henry, shouted at her before he ran through the front door and slamming it shut in her face. The loud sound echoes around the whole house.

Regina stood still facing the white door, tears flowing freely from her brown eyes. Taking a deep breath, she wiped the tears and made her way to her bedroom, foregoing making dinner for herself.

Reaching her bedroom, she started her daily routine before going to bed even though it's only 6.30pm on a Wednesday.

Once settled on her bed, she tucked herself until only her head was visible before grabbing her phone from the night stand and texting the last person she wanted to talk to right now, but just her luck, she just have to suck it up and do it.

Regina: Please make sure Henry has his dinner and check his homework. And don't forget, bedtime is at 9.30pm.

Done with the text, she puts back her phone on the night stand and covers her head in her blanket and soon, sobbing was the only sound heard through the mansion until the mayor was too exhausted and fell asleep.

...

It was 7pm when the tone of Katy Perry's Fireworks alerts Emma of a new incoming text on her phone. Glancing at her phone, she saw that it was from the Mayor.

"What does she want now?" with a loud grunt, she quickly finds an empty spot to park her Bug, which to her great pleasure, was only 3 spots from her apartment stairs. Which she considers a small victory after the day she just had.

A frown was formed on her face after reading the text from the mayor. She checks her calendar and it appears that indeed, it was Regina's week with Henry. Emma quickly makes her way up to her apartment and surprise! Henry was sitting in her living room playing video games, oblivious to his blonde mother arrival.

"Henry. Not that I don't want you here, but what are you doing here and not at your mom's?"

"Hey mom. You're my mom, and I'm at your place." Henry answered her smartly and giving her a toothy smile.

Emma walked to the game console and turned it off and walked back to her son and sat next to him. Releasing a long breath, she asked him in a tired voice, "Do you want to tell me what's going on kid?"

She waited patiently for her son to answer but he just looked down and plays with the hem of his shirt. "Henry, what happen? You and I both knows it's your week with Regina, so tell me, why are you here and why did I get a text from her asking to take care of you?"

Suddenly, Henry sat up and shouted at her, "What's the big deal? I'm your son. You want me. I want you. I'm here now with you. Does it matter what happen?"

Emma took a deep breath and asked her son to sit back next to her. After he sat, in a calming voice, "So this is about the adoption again, I figured?" after receiving Henry's hesitant nod, she continues "I need you to listen carefully kid. You figuring out you were adopted and finding me again doesn't cancel Regina as your mom. She is as much as your mom as I am. You can't just ignore the fact that for the past 10years, she was the only mom you had."

"Why are you on her side? You hate her."

"Hate is a strong word. We might not agree on a lot of things, but know for a fact, that I love you as much as she does and we only want what's best for you." At Henry silence, Emma put her arm around her son's shoulder.

"Henry, I told you the reason I had to gave you up right? For your best chance. And I can never thank Regina enough for adopting you. She gave you your best chance. She took care of you, loved you, and still loves you even after these past 8months that you found me and be a brat towards her. So tell me, why are you still acting up? Aren't you grateful that someone, Regina, took you when you were a baby? And not being toss around in the system like I did?"