Ouat Once Shots

One Shot #15

Why could no one understand? Why did they keep trying to change her? Couldn't they see that this is who she was now? The voices swimming in her head told her to kill any one who disagreed with her, but her heart said otherwise. Emma's body was fighting a civil war, the last shred of light trying rise up against all the darkness in her. Henry was that light, the only one she truly loved in this world, and as long as he still believed in her, there was some good left. Emma relished in the rest of the darkness, sure she loved her one tiny piece of good, but the darkness was like nicotine, her body always craved more and more. Soon, her greed for darkness would grow to be too great, and that last bit of light would be snuffed out, the love for her son would be gone. Even thought he didn't want to admit it to himself, as he wanted to believe the best in Emma, Henry knew that Emma's love for him would fade if he didn't do something quickly. He had watched in silence as his family had tried (and failed) to save her and it was now his turn. Taking a deep breath, Henry reached up and knocked on the door to Emma's mansion. There was a quick patter of high heels before the door swung open, revealing Emma's face.

"Henry?" She said, her voice softening. She spoke his name delicately, as if she spoke too loud or too harshly, he might shatter.

"Hey, mom." Henry said in monotone, staring at his feet, "C-can I come in?" Emma must've detected the slight quaver in his words because she pulled him into a hug and pressed her lips close to her ear.

"You don't have to be afraid of me Henry, I love you." she whispered, pulled away with a reassuring smile. Her arm still slung over his shoulder, she led him inside, and, if he closed his eyes, it was almost like old times.

"Please, sit down Henry. Do you want anything to drink? Are you hungry?" Emma asked, concern lacing her voice as she searched his face. Henry politely declined and sat awkwardly at the kitchen bar, tapping his fingers on the counter.

"Come on, its freezing outside! I bet you could go for some hot coco with cinnamon." Emma offered teasingly. She was being so nice, so normal, it threw Henry off a little. He had expected Emma to throw him out into the streets and lock her door to prevent him from entering her home. If anything, he hadn't expected this.

"Sounds great, thanks mom." Henry said, offering a smile. Even if his plan didn't work, maybe he could try and maintain their old relationship, it seemed like Emma wanted to at least.

"Is being the Dark One going to affect our relationship?" he blurted out. Emma turned around slowly, her eyes full of sorrow and pain.

"No! Oh Henry, no! Why would you ever think that? You are my son and I love you." Emma assured him with a smile before going back to the coco. Henry let out a small sigh of relief, Emma would always love him no matter what.

"Good, I was a little worried." Henry said, chuckling a little. Emma smiled at him again, setting a mug in front of him. They made small talk for a while, sipping their coco and laughing, as if the darkness wasn't controlling Emma and it was a normal night in Storybrooke.

"Hey, mom? Would you mind if I stayed here tonight? I'm sure Regina wouldn't mind." Emma's face lit up at Henry's words, like they had made her whole day. They probably had.

"Of course Henry! I'll go get your room ready!" Emma smiled and stood up, collecting their empty hot chocolate mugs and hurrying down the hall.

"Okay! I'm going to call Regina and make sure it's okay!" Henry called after her, pulling out his phone and dialing Regina's number. She picked up on the first ring.

"Did it work? Is she falling for it?" Regina asked as soon as the call connected.

"Yeah, she said I could stay the night. It doesn't feel right though, tricking her like this." Henry admitted, peeking around the corner for any sign of Emma's return.

"Its for her own good." Regina reminded him, "I'll see tomorrow, Henry. Good luck, I love you."

"Thanks, mom. Goodnight." Regina gave on last "I love you" before hanging up, just as Emma returned.

"The guest room is all set up, and there are PJ's and everything on your bed." She explained, "I'll be up to tuck you in in a little bit."

"Mom, I'm almost fourteen." Henry rolled his eyes and Emma just ruffled his hair and disappeared back into the kitchen. Henry made his way up the stairs and quickly readied himself for bed. He had just gotten cozy when Emma came back up, this time in sweatpants and a tank top, her white hair piled on top of her head in a bun. It was strange seeing her out of her Dark One attire, but Henry guessed that even they liked to be comfortable sometimes. Or maybe Emma was just making an effort to be as normal as possible for him.

"Okay, kid, lights out." Emma said, flipping the switch before maneuvering over to his bed and sitting down. "What do you say we do something tomorrow, just you and me?" she asked, her voice full of hope. Henry felt he cheeks get red and he bit his lip.

"Well, um, I can't tomorrow." he stared at his hands in his lap, "I kinda have a, um, date."

"A date!?" Emma gasped, "With that Violet girl? You're getting so old!" she laughed, "Please let me help you get ready! Its a big milestone and I want to be there for you." Emma begged, and Henry didn't have the heart to turn her down.

"Yeah, of course." Henry said, yawning a little. Emma smiled and pressed her fingertips to his eyes, gently closing his already drooping eyelids.

"Go to sleep." Emma said and started to walk away, but Henry grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

"What? No good night kiss?" He said, smiling a little. Although he couldn't see her because of the darkness, he could feel Emma rolling her eyes.

"I thought you were 'almost fourteen'" Emma said using his words against him, but still happily obliged and bend over, pressing her lips to his forehead. As soon as their skin made contact, a shock wave eminated from Emma, and blackness seeped from her mouth before dissapearing into the air. She let out a startled gasp and sunk to the floor, clutching her heart.

"Mom!" Henry cried, jumping up and rushing over to her side. She looked up at him with startled, yet happy, eyes.

"You did it Henry, true love's kiss broke the curse." Emma said, smiling up at him. Her hair was no longer white, but it's usaul blonde, in fact, her whole appearance hand shifted back to it's real self. She threw her arms around Henry, tears of join running down her cheeks. She was finally free of the darkness.