Cursed Hearts

Henry's Return

Regina quite liked her job at city hall as the mayor. She was hesitant to accept the position again, since she had two children at home to take care of, but it was an offer she knew she couldn't refuse. Being mayor was something she enjoyed doing. Her mother had forced so many leadership tactics in her head in order for her to become queen one day- Regina couldn't let those skills be put to waste. The intentions of Cora's plans were entirely selfish, but that didn't mean her daughter couldn't make something positive out of it. It was so much easier to rule over a kingdom where everyone treated her like they would anyone else. She had earned their respect, and she couldn't be more grateful for that.

As much as she loved her job, being stuck in an office on a Saturday afternoon wasn't the ideal situation. Especially with the excitement of Henry returning to town. She didn't love the fact that her son was so far away, but she knew she could trust him to make good decisions on his own. Having a child attending university made her feel so old. Much to everyone's surprise, however, Regina really didn't mind getting old- it meant she and Robin spent many happy years together, as well as many more in the future. Seeing her children grow was quite possibly the greatest rewards she could ever think of for being a mother.

Over the years, her office had generally stayed the same. In the days before the curse was broken, she had kept the decorations down to a minimum. She had no reason to do otherwise. In her current age in time, Caroline stopped by the office frequently. A few of her things were still scattered across the room from her last visit. Pictures now lined her walls and her desk, capturing the happy moments of her daughter's first ten years of life.

She was occupied with the task of filing papers for another parking lot that was supposed to start construction in the next week. It had been a long day of contracts and phone calls, something she was used to doing. But with the excitement of her son coming home, it was near impossible for her to focus on anything. She sent the Charmings (and Grace) a text to meet at her house at five, when she got off, but that didn't give her any time to help out or get ready. Henry said he would be there around then if traffic wasn't too bad. Regina knew Caroline was practically bouncing off the walls to see him again; Roland was too, even if he didn't show it. Things had been slow at the animal shelter where Robin worked, so he sent her a text that said he would be closing up early and heading home- that meant Regina was the only one not there.

Her nails tapped against the wood of her desk as she forced herself to concentrate on the paper long enough to slap her signature down at the bottom. After she did so, she glanced back down at her phone to check the time. 4:13. Dreadful.

"Regina?" A small voice from her doors sounded, instantly bringing the mayor's attention to her personal assistant in her doorway. Her name was Penny- Regina quite liked her.

"I can finish things up here if you want to head home. It's no problem."

The brunette smiled softly and shook her head. "No, I could ever ask you to do that for me. I'll be fine- Henry will probably be late getting here anyways."

"Caroline called here about eight times begging me to tell you to come home. I can't just say no to a nine year old."

Regina sighed. "I told her to stop calling you for things. I'm so sorry-"

"No need to apologize," Penny chuckled, "I like talking to her. And, if my son were visiting from Canada, I'd want as much time with him as possible."

After she said that, Regina knew there was no talking her out of it. Penny was just as stubborn as she was. So, she grabbed her purse, her keys, and her coat, abandoning her paperwork without a second thought.

"Thank you so much," she smiled, "I'll owe you coffee for a week- something like that."

There was no way she could object to that offer. "That'd be great. Now go spend time with your family- they need you."