Chapter Text
Regina relished this time of year, the darkest days before the light returned to the land. Though she thought the idea of Santa was idiotic; a large, strange man climbed down a chimney with presents one night. She laughed to herself thinking there was no way a man that large could fit down a chimney without getting stuck. No, the time of Yule was a time of celebration, contemplation, and renewal. It was sacred for thousands of years for good reason.
Henry would be coming home for the holidays from his first year at college, and she couldn’t be happier. She missed him so much. The house was so empty without him. She raised him with these time-old traditions of Yuletide, and he incorporated some of those experiences into his Minor in Creative Writing at Harvard. Though he is majoring in Business Administration as he was set to become ruler someday when she eventually passes the torch to him when she retires, an option she has in this new order. She can help guide him and advise him as the former Queen, and enjoy him coming into his own as a ruler, giving him moral support as well when he sought it. He needed to know economics, administration, management, finance, accounting, information systems and basic human resources. He eventually wanted to get a Masters and Ph.D. in Medieval History as the United Realms still functioned, for the most part, as a feudal system. He would need to know that to be an effective ruler. She couldn’t be more proud of him for taking his duties seriously.
This year, Henry requested a family feast before the Yuletide Festival feast, bonfire, and dance at the Great Castle that reflected the tradition of his ancestry of the Enchanted Forest among other realms. Even though he was born in this world, he wanted to honor his parents' and grandparents' world.
On the day of his homecoming, Regina couldn’t have been more excited. She arrived at her office that day as she rotated her schedule between her Storybrooke office and her duties at Court at the Great Castle. She greeted her assistant and Hand of the Queen, Dani, and entered her office.
Immediately she stopped. A large bouquet of red roses sat atop her desk, perfectly centered.
Regina approached and in the heart of the bouquet she saw a note, “Red roses were the symbol of the Greek Goddess, Aphrodite, the goddess of love, lust, beauty, and pleasure. She was the most beautiful of them all. Desired above all. As are you, My Queen. Xx” Regina flipped the card around and it was blank.
“Dani! Come in here please,” she said.
Dani walked in and stood there waiting for instruction. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Who dropped these off?” Regina pointed at the roses.
Dani responded “I don’t know. I just accepted the order from the delivery man and placed them on the desk at his request.”
“Call the delivery man then transfer the call to me,” she said. Regina placed the roses on the meeting table; she thought they were absolute perfection and brought a beautiful aroma to her office on this chilly Maine December morning. Regina proceeded to the fireplace and lit a fire to warm up the place, then sat down at her desk to go over some paperwork.
A few minutes later, her phone rang, and she picked it up. “I have the man on the line,” came Dani’s voice.
“Put him through.”
“Hello, Your Majesty,” he said.
“Good morning, I have a question. Who was the person who ordered these flowers sent to my office? They left no name. I’d just like to properly thank them,” Regina said smoothly.
“Um, I don’t know. The order came in anonymously.”
“Surely you can track their payment information,” she insisted.
“Afraid not. They used a Prepaid Visa card. Untraceable.”
“I see,” Regina said, slightly irritated. She wanted to get to the bottom of this. “Well, thank you anyway. Goodbye.” She hung up.
She picked up her cell phone and placed a call.
“Hey, Regina. What’s up?” Came the familiar voice.
“Miss Swan, I have a problem. I need your professional skills to track someone down.”
“Whoa, Miss Swan? This must be serious. What happened?”
Regina shifted a bit in her chair, slightly embarrassed. “Well, someone sent me a dozen roses anonymously, and wrote a love letter of sorts, and I want to find out who it is.” There was a chuckle on the other end. “This is serious, Miss Swan!”
“Come on, Regina, it’s just some flowers. You got a secret admirer. That’s not a serious matter.”
“Yes, it is! What if they’re some sort of stalker? I could be in danger.”
“I really doubt that. You’re the most powerful magic user outside Mr. Gold, who’d mess with you? Have you considered it’s Henry?”
“No, he wouldn’t do this. It was referencing my beauty and love and lust. Is that something a son would write to his mother.”
“Oh yeah, that’s not something he’d do. Okay, well, did you call the flower service and ask?” Emma inquired.
“Of course, I did, and they were useless. I need your special skills.” Regina tapped her fingers on the desk impatiently.
“Okay. I’ll try. But I gotta warn you, I’m busy dealing with security for the Yule Day party or festival or whatever it's called.”
“It’s the Yuletide Festival,” Regina corrected her. “Well, when you have extra time. Thank you.”
“Yeah, no problem.”
The day passed without much fuss other than Regina kept glancing at the flowers. It had been years since someone showed interest in her. It was strange. Foreign. She had focused all her energies on raising Henry and running the United Realms that included Storybrooke. She packed up her purse at the end of the day and grabbed the roses intending to take them home. She bid Dani good evening and departed.
When she arrived home, she placed the roses on the dining table as a centerpiece. At least they are pretty. She prepared dinner for Henry’s arrival. Emma would be joining them this evening as well. She cooked his favorite, her famous lasagna with red pepper flakes. She doubted there was any good lasagna other than from a frozen box where he was and shuddered.
There was a knock at the door. She quickly answered it and Henry wrapped her in a bear hug. He stood at roughly six feet tall now so she buried her face in his chest which smelled of the brown leather jacket he wore. Emma stood behind them in her red leather jacket. She smiled at them both.
“Well, come in before you freeze out there! Dinner’s almost ready.”
They entered and took off their jackets, hanging them up on the coat hanger.
“Hmmm, smells good, Mom!” He glanced around. “Man, it feels good to be home. Dorm rooms stink compared to home.” He glanced at the table. “Oh, nice. Roses. Are those for me? Mom, you shouldn’t have.” He smirked.
“Uh, no actually they’re for me. From someone.”
“Oh, who?” asked Henry.
“Honestly, I have no idea.”
“She wants me to track them down.” Emma piped up.
Henry chuckled, “Did it come with a note?”
“Yes, but I’d rather not discuss it,” said Regina.
Dinner was wonderful even though the nagging feeling of the roses stared at her in the face. After dinner they watched a movie and Henry yawned. It was a long drive from Massachusetts. So, he bid his mothers good night and went upstairs to bed. Regina turned to Emma, “Did you get started on finding the person?”
Emma took a sip of apple cider before speaking, “Well, they covered their tracks well. I couldn’t find anything.”
This frustrated Regina, “I thought you were good at this.”
“I am. Just they seem to know how to cover themselves. Don’t worry though, I’m sure it’s harmless, Regina.” She glanced at her watch. “It’s getting late, I better get home.”
Emma shrugged her red jacket and bid Regina good night. Regina trudged upstairs to her bedroom and got ready for bed. She fell into an uncomfortable sleep. She didn’t like not knowing this mysterious person.
Regina woke the next morning and stretched. She showered and got dressed. Henry would be visiting friends and family for the day while she worked, but she wanted to have breakfast with him at Granny’s so she knocked on his door and he grumbled. “Henry, get up. We’re going to Granny’s for breakfast.”
The short trip to Granny’s was uneventful as Henry was groggy from sleeping, and yawning frequently. “I need coffee.”
“Since when do you drink coffee,” asked Regina as they entered the establishment.
“Since Mid-terms came around, I realized I needed the energy to keep up, mom.”
They sat at the corner booth and saw familiar faces. David, Snow, and Neal sat in another booth but immediately came to greet them. They all hugged. David ruffled his hair and Henry squished his face, nearly as tall as David, just an inch shy.
“So wonderful to see you! We’ve missed you so much, Henry!” exclaimed a beaming Snow.
“I have a day of sword and riding practice set aside for us today if you’re up for it?” said David.
“Hell yeah! I’m rusty.”
“Language,” said Regina wryly but she knew full well his vocabulary was extensive now, due in part to being around Emma and herself. Henry rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah, Miss drops the F-bomb if something doesn’t go her way,” he said. She mocked a shocked expression then smiled at him.
They enjoyed breakfast together and went their separate ways afterward. Regina headed toward her Mercedes as Henry joined David in his truck. Regina stopped. A note was underneath the windshield wiper. Surely David nor Emma would ticket her as she was clearly parked in a legal spot. As she picked up the note, she read it and realized it was not a ticket.
“Your Majesty, I’ve seen you do truly astounding things over the years, I ponder why I never plucked up the courage to tell you. So, here’s the start of some of them. Your love for those closest to you is so profound and deep, it’s a spectacular wonder of the world to me. If more people had that capacity you have, the world would be a much more beautiful place. Xx.”
She stared at the note. Yet again, no signature nor sign of the person who wrote it. It was on plain white stationary yet a little thicker than the usual piece of printer paper. She smelled something coming from it. It smelled of apples. Well, that didn’t narrow it down. She was famous for her love of apples. The note stirred something inside her. This person seemed to know her personally. She got in her car and pulled out her phone.
“Sheriff’s Station, what’s your emergency?” said Emma in a bored voice.
“Emma, it happened again. Someone left a note on my car this morning, and it’s far more personal this time,” she said.
“Okay, drop it off before you go to work, I’ll take a look at it.”
“Can’t you get fingerprints off of it or something?” asked Regina impatiently. She had watched enough true crime shows to know of that sort of evidence that could be left behind carelessly.
“I can try, but knowing how cautious they were last time, that’s unlikely.”
“I just want to find out who it is, if at all possible,” said Regina.
Emma sensed the worrying tone. “Don’t worry, Regina. Everyone has had a secret admirer at some point in their lives.”
“Well, I haven’t, and it’s unsettling me,” stated Regina.
“Oh, well, I’ll do my best so I can put you at ease. Maybe come up with a list of possible names,” said Emma.
“Thank you. See you in a few minutes, bye.”
Regina dropped off the letter to Emma and headed straight for her office. She bid Dani a good morning and prepared for several meetings that day from the Miner’s Association to the Nunnery plan of events for the Yuletide Festival bonfire. She sighed.
Dani came in with her mail around midday. She sifted through the envelopes and stumbled upon one that didn’t look official. There was no return address. She opened it and read.
“Your Majesty, you’ve been through so much in your life, so much needless suffering. And yet, you have such a light to you that burns so brightly that I don’t even think you realize it. You’ve worked harder than anyone else I know for what you have achieved even though I know at times you doubted you would ever make it out of it. You’re such a fighter, a leader, courageous, selfless, compassionate, and determined. I’m in awe of you every day. Xx.”
Regina felt surprised with herself. With these words, she felt good about herself. This secret admirer really did admire her. She could see through the words that they weren’t full of lust as she previously thought their endgame would be but brimming with a genuine appreciation of her. She felt flattered. Nevertheless, that nagging feeling of wanting to figure out who it was didn’t leave her. She phoned Emma immediately to come over to get the letter for further examination.
Emma arrived an hour later. “Sorry, I’m late. I had a situation to deal with, Leroy again. Had to toss him in the drunk tank. He’s been enjoying too much eggnog way too early in the morning. You got the letter?”
Regina handed it over along with the envelope. Emma read it and smiled.
“Why are you smiling?” asked Regina.
Emma cleared her throat, “It’s kinda sweet.”
Regina blushed and shifted in her seat. “Yes, well, that doesn’t change the fact it remains anonymous. Have you found anything on the other one?”
“Nah, I dusted for prints, nothing but yours. I’m sure this one will have multiple sets from mailmen and other people who handled it. So, it might be another wash, sorry to say,” she said.
“Nevertheless, you’ll try,” Regina eyed her expectantly.
“Of course. See ya later for dinner at David and Snow’s,” she turned and left the office.
The meetings were dull, and her mind kept wandering to the secret letters. At five, she packed up her things and left, heading straight for the Charming’s home. She knocked and the door opened with Snow’s beaming face.
“Regina, glad you could make it on time! I’m making pot roast. It should be ready in an half hour. Would you like some wine or something else to drink while we wait?” she asked.
“A glass of red wine would be fine, thank you.” She turned to find Henry on the couch holding four-year-old Neal and making sure he was eating his mac and cheese and David next to him.
“You know, it’s kinda weird to have an uncle that’s a four-year-old,” said Henry. “He’s growing up fast though.”
“Oh, yes. He talks a lot and walks everywhere. We have to keep a constant eye on him,” said Snow from the kitchen.
“I remember when you were that age,” Regina smiled. “You were such an easy boy. Your first words were Mama. I cried.”
Henry glanced at her and smiled. The door opened behind them though they didn’t notice it. “I love you, Mom. I know we had a rough patch, but I always loved you. You were the best mom.”
“Hey! I’m a good mom, too!” Emma came in wielding bottles of wine.
Henry chuckled. “Duh, you’re cool, too.”
“Ha! I’m the cool mom, Regina, hear that.” Emma smirked. She placed the bottles on the table. She poured herself a glass and turned toward them. “So, how was today hanging out with your grandpa?”
“Really cool. We practiced sword fighting, archery, and horseback riding. I think I’m getting the hang of the footwork finally,” he said.
“Archery?” said Regina as she sipped on her wine.
“Yeah, gotta be well-rounded and all that. I actually find it easier than sword fighting,” said Henry as he finished feeding Neal.
Snow piped from the kitchen, “He got that skill from me! I could hit a squirrel in the eye perfectly when I was living in the forest.”
“Uh, I forgot you kinda had to live off the land. Squirrel meat, yuck!” exclaimed Henry.
“It’s not as bad as you think,” said Snow. “Dinner’s ready. Take a seat everyone.”
Regina shifted uncomfortably as she sat down. It was her fault Snow had to survive in the forest for so long off of gods know what. She wanted to change the subject, but Emma beat her to it.
“Regina found nothing again. Sorry,” she said.
“What’s that?” said David.
“Oh, it’s nothing,” Regina waived off.
“Mom’s got a secret admirer. They sent her roses,” Henry provided.
Snow pounced immediately. “Really! Who is it? Did they send anything else?”
Regina pinched her nose. Snow would of course be all over this subject with her incessant belief in finding True Love. “It’s nothing more than a meaningless secret admirer. Emma’s told me that it’s commonplace to happen to people.”
“What did you mean you found nothing?” said David.
“Uh, she got sent letters today, and I couldn’t find any fingerprints or anything else pointing out who it might be,” supplied Emma.
“Hmm, well, if you need help I’m happy to do so,” said David.
“Oh, I’d love to help as well. This is exciting!” said Snow, helping herself to a hefty portion of pot roast.
“This needs an operation name I feel. How about Operation Roses? You know, since that was the first gift,” said Henry.
Great, Regina thought. Just what she needed. The entire Charming Squad on her case and an operation name to boot.
“I think Emma and I can handle this on our own, thank you. It’s rather embarrassing what they’ve written.”
“What? No, it’s not. It’s sweet,” said Emma.
“What did they write?” asked Snow.
“Regina, come on. The more people that take a look at the evidence the more we can try to figure out who it is,” said Snow.
She had a point, Regina conceded. “Fine. I assume you brought them with you, Emma?”
Emma got up and went down to her car to retrieve them. She returned a few minutes later with the notes. She handed them to each of them to read in turn. After they finished, Snow was the first to speak. “Oh my, these are incredibly sweet as Emma said.” Henry laughed as well as David. Emma was mute as she had already read the notes previously and was focused on her pot roast.
Regina blushed. “Well, be that as it may, can you possibly tell who it might be from?”
They all looked at each other. “I think it might be Dr. Jekyll to be perfectly honest,” said David. “He always did look at you with an interesting gaze.”
Regina scrunched up her nose in disgust, “That man has zero chance. He repulses me, especially considering his other self.”
“Could be worth looking into though,” said David. “I could question him tomorrow if you’d like?”
Regina pondered this for a minute. “Perhaps you could tail him instead, see where he goes and if he leaves any further notes or such. I don’t want to tip him off. Then if he does something suspicious, confront him with Emma. After all, Emma has her superpower lie detector.” She offered Emma a small smile and raised her eyebrow slightly as Emma turned slightly pink.
“Sure. I could do that,” said David.
“What about helping me with the security for the festival?” Emma asked.
“It’s almost done anyway, Emma. Just minor details we’ve got to get squared away. It won’t take long with the knights and Queen’s Guard already on top of it,” assured David. “Besides, this is far more interesting.”
Henry giggled suddenly. “Or it could be Dr. Whale.”
Regina looked aghast. “He led a mob to try and kill me!”
“I’m just saying, enemies to lovers is a romantic trope in writing for a reason,” Henry put up his hands in defense. “As a writer, I know this is a common thing.”
Regina rolled her eyes. “This isn’t some creative writing class, Henry. It’s the real world.”
Henry rolled his eyes just like he learned from Regina. “Come on, Mom, you hated everyone in this room, apart from me, and now look at us, enjoying each other’s company.”
“That’s different. That was hard-earned through many trials and tribulations forming trust between us. Romance is different,” said Regina.
Snow squinted at her. “No, it’s not. It’s the same thing only romance is, well, romance, but the principles remain the same. It’s built on trust.”
Regina sighed heavily. “Fine. Whatever. Can we change the subject away from my love life? It’s awkward enough as it is with my son involved now.”
“Mom, I’m an adult now, I think I can handle it,” Henry smirked.
They spoke of the upcoming Yuletide Festival celebrations. It wasn’t lost on them that this was the first year they would go all out to do something akin to what they did in their old world. It made everyone particularly excited, especially Henry, who’s only ever known Christmas and celebrated minor Yuletide celebrations with Regina, though Regina didn’t raise him in a particular faith. Afterward, Regina waved her hands and magically cleaned all the dishes and set them in their rightful place as a thank you to Snow for preparing dinner for which she was grateful as she had to put Neal to bed. A loud yawn escaped her lips and they all bid each other good night. Henry and Regina went to her car and she saw another note. She snatched it up right away. How could this person possibly know she was coming here for dinner? They were stalking her now, she was sure of it. Before Emma reached her yellow bug, Regina shouted for her to come over to her immediately. Henry looked alarmed but curious as to why Regina suddenly seemed alert.
Emma walked over and Regina waived the note. “They’re stalking me now, Emma. I will not have this.”
“Did you read what it says?”
Regina opened it and read. “Your Majesty, look to the stars, just take a minute, breathe in the fresh air, and gaze at the wonders of the universe and its beauty. I wonder sometimes whether we are looking at them at the same time. They’re so lovely this time of year are they not? In all that darkness of space lay trillions upon trillions of the brightest balls of light that give us all forms of life. It’s amazing to think that we’re all stardust. That also means we are all also part of that bright light. So, just know you are part of that light, too. Xx.”
She finished and handed the note to Emma to read. Henry put his hands on the top of the car hood just waiting patiently. As Emma read, Regina couldn’t help but look at the stars at that moment and take a deep breath of the chilly, crisp air. The stars were indeed shining brightly that night. Too many to count. Emma folded the note when she finished and looked up as well following Regina’s line of sight. Henry just stared at them wondering why his mothers were staring up at the sky all of sudden.
“Well, they are beautiful aren’t they,” said Emma.
Regina didn’t answer. She didn’t know how to feel. Violated? Flattered? Confused? Scared, perhaps. “Emma, they dropped this off while I was having dinner. They followed me here. Clearly, that’s stalker behavior.”
Henry walked around and asked to read the note. Regina handed it to him. He read it and looked up at the stars. “You know, I know they probably did follow you here, but, mom, this doesn’t seem like a creeper to me. Seems like they genuinely adore you and want you to appreciate the things you may overlook in life. Maybe they’ll never reveal themselves to you for fear of rejection or just want to express themselves from afar.”
Emma pursed her lips. “I’ll take it and have it looked at tomorrow first thing. And I think there are security cameras around this area so I’ll take a look at those too. Maybe we can catch them in the act. Sound good?”
“Yes, that would make me feel better. Look, I know I can defend myself very easily. It’s just rather an unsettling feeling I’m not quite used to,” said Regina honestly to them both.
“I know, Mom. You’re not used to being the object of affection from someone. It’s been years, but sometimes maybe you got to take a leap of faith that things will turn out well. So, don’t worry so much. There’s nothing in these notes or gestures that indicates that they have ill intent,” reassured Henry.
“Kid’s right. I don’t see evidence of ill will,” she put her hands up as Regina was about to say something, “But don’t worry, Regina. I will look into it. You have my word.”
Regina thanked Emma and told her good night as Henry and she drove home toward Mifflin Street. She hugged Henry extra tight, combed his hair out of his face out of habit, and kissed his cheek good night.