A Valentine’s Day Surprise
Happy Valentine’s Day to @sweetsmiles1! I was your Love, OQ Secret Admirer! I hope you enjoy the fic I wrote for you and that you have a great Valentine’s Day!
“Happy birthday, Mom!” Henry entered her bedroom, carrying a tray loaded with pancakes and coffee.
Regina sat up, smiling at her son. “Henry. You didn’t have to do this.”
He gave her a look as he set the tray down over her legs. “It’s your birthday. Of course, I want to celebrate. And breakfast in bed is tradition. Eat up!”
She chuckled and cut into the pancakes, a sign her little prince was growing up. When he was younger, her breakfast was usually cereal and orange juice. He eventually graduated to toast and learned to make coffee. Now, he was making pancakes. What would he be doing next?
“Thank you, Henry,” she said. “This was so thoughtful.”
He grinned, folding his legs underneath him to look at her. “What else do you want to do? It’s your special day.”
She chewed her pancake for a bit, carefully wording her answer. “I think I just want to have a normal day, Henry. That’s all. No fuss, no distractions. Just go on like it’s any other day.”
“But it’s not another normal day,” Henry insisted. “It’s your birthday and we should celebrate, Mom.”
“We are celebrating. You’ve made me breakfast and then we’ll have some cake tonight, just you and me. Okay?” Regina tucked two fingers underneath his chin, smiling at him as she prayed he would back down.
He sighed, his shoulders sagging. “Is this about Robin?”
“No,” she said, meaning it. “You know I’ve never been big about celebrating my birthday. I’d rather celebrate yours.”
“Because I’m worth celebrating,” Henry replied. When she nodded, he then countered: “I think you’re worth celebrating.”
Her heart melted and she put the tray aside so she could hug him. “If it means so much to you, then I guess we can go to dinner at Granny’s and you can invite the Charmings. How’s that?”
His smile lit up the room. “That sounds great, Mom. I know everyone will appreciate it.”
“Yeah, yeah,” she replied before holding up a finger. “I draw the line at Granny’s wait staff singing to me. Do we understand?”
“Don’t worry, Mom. It’ll be a quiet affair. I promise.” He hopped off the bed. “I need to go call Grandma. You enjoy your breakfast.”
Once Henry was gone, she pulled the tray back and dug into her cooling breakfast. It was just one dinner with the Charmings. She figured the worst that would happen was an off-key rendition of “Happy Birthday” over the cake while the entire restaurant tried not to stare. It seemed tolerable.
Regina took a deep breath before opening the door to Granny’s diner that night. She had spent the afternoon pampering herself in anticipation (and at Henry’s insistence she relax), soaking in a bubble bath and then using a facial mask as well as other products for her skin. Dressed in red, her power color, Regina definitely felt confident.
It still didn’t mean she was prepared to spend an entire evening with the Charmings and their annoying optimistic tendencies.
She stepped inside and spotted Henry waving at her from one of the booths. Regina waved back and started to head toward the booth. The other patrons nodded in acknowledgment of her, a change from just a few years prior when most wouldn’t have made eye contact with her. As she approached the booth, one waitress smiled as she passed. “Happy birthday, Madam Mayor.”
“Thank you,” she forced herself to say. She then turned on her son. “What was my one condition?”
He grinned. “Relax, Mom. We had to give Granny the cake, so everyone found out. But I made it clear that there is to be no singing.”
“Don’t worry, Regina,” Emma piped up. “I think it’s a bit embarrassing to have the staff sing to you as well.”
Snow beamed up at Regina. “Thank you so much for letting us come to your birthday dinner. It means a lot.”
“I guess it does,” she agreed, sliding in next to Henry. It felt both strange yet right to be celebrating with her stepdaughter and her family.
Hook cleared his throat, picking up the menu. “So, Your Majesty, what will it be for your special day?”
“And don’t think of ordering something super healthy,” Emma added. “Calories don’t count on your birthday.”
Regina gave her a look over the menu but couldn’t help her amused smile as she perused the options. Granny’s menu hadn’t changed much over the past thirty years but she still looked every time, just in case something new had snuck its way onto the list of offerings.
In the end, she decided to have a grilled chicken sandwich and French fries. It was enough to keep Emma from teasing her and they all soon fell into an easy conversation as their food arrived.
By the time their dishes were cleared away, Regina felt quite relaxed. Though she wouldn’t admit it out loud, the dinner had been exactly what she needed for her birthday. She rubbed Henry’s back, smiling at him in gratitude. He must’ve picked it up because the smile he gave her back seemed a bit smug.
Granny approached the table, carrying a red velvet cake with lit candles. She placed it down in front of Regina. “Now, I know you don’t want my staff to sing, but can a few friends sing for you?” she asked.
Regina bit her lip before sighing. “I guess. Just as long as it doesn’t turn out to be the entire diner.”
“Fair enough,” she replied. “But it’s just everyone at this booth. Is that fine?”
“Yes,” Regina conceded. “Just…not so loud.”
Granny rolled her eyes. “Okay. On three. One…two…three…”
The singing wasn’t too bad and Regina found herself cringing only once. It was blissfully short and then Granny was saying: “Make a wish and blow out the candle.”
Surrounded by her smiling family, Regina realized she had no choice. Yet she didn’t know what she was going to wish for. Maybe she could just blow out the candle without making a wish…
You know what you want. What’s the harm in wishing for it? asked a traitorous voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Tink.
It won’t come true. It can’t come true. I’ll just end up with a broken heart, she argued with herself.
Come on, Regina. You’ve seen the power of wishes. Just believe.
“Regina?. The candle is starting to drip wax over the frosting,” Emma said. “Make a wish and blow.”
Regina glared at her but took a deep breath. She blew out the candle as her wish echoed around her mind:
I wish Robin and Roland would come back to me.
Everyone clapped and Granny picked up the cake. “I’ll go get this cut up and be right back.”
She walked off as Snow pulled something from her bag. It was a small wrapped box with a purple bow on top. “I know you probably didn’t want any gifts, but I found this and knew it was for you.”
Curious, Regina unwrapped it and lifted the lid. Sitting on a bed of cotton was a beautiful tan father with dark brown tips. Her heart beat faster as she picked it up, rolling the feather between her fingers. “Is this…?”
“I think so,” Snow said. “It looks like a feather from an arrow and both David and Hook said it looked like the ones they saw on Robin’s arrows.”
“It must’ve been floating around Storybrooke since Zelena lost it,” Henry said, smiling at her. “And now it’s come back to you.”
Regina smiled, holding the feather to her heart as she looked at Snow. “Thank you. This means a lot to me.”
Granny returned with a tray laden with slices of cake. “Okay, who wants a piece?” she asked.
As the others reached for their slices, Regina tucked the feather inside her purse. Perhaps her wish had come true after all, even if not in the exact way she had meant.
