Captivating

Chris/Devina

“Devina, we are going to be late! What’s taking you so long?” Chris yelled up the stairs to his doddling daughter. She had been getting ready for over an hour and it didn’t make any sense. It wasn’t as though she had makeup to put on or an extensive wardrobe to choose from. She was only seven, after all. “We’re going to miss the start of Henry’s party!” Chris announced with obvious frustration in his voice. He was an easy going man but his patience only lasted so long. Chris didn’t want to let Regina or Henry down. Storybrooke’s golden boy was turning thirteen today! It was an important milestone Chris couldn’t afford to miss. Things had been going so well for him and Regina and he didn’t want to do anything to mess that up. Having the Queen by his side the last three months finally made the redeemed wizard feel whole. Honestly, Chris wasn’t sure how he managed so long without her. Regina and Henry fit into his life with Devina so naturally, almost as if they were all created to complement one another. “Don’t panic! I’m here!” Devina declared, sprinting down the steps with a brown paper bag in hand. Chris immediately spotted glue on his daughter’s hands and raised a curious eyebrow. She looked far too pleased with herself.

“Hmmm. And what, may I ask, delayed you?” the blonde doctor inquired. Grinning from ear to ear, Devina opened up the bag she held and pulled out a handmade picture frame. It was covered with glitter and flowers, the words ‘Happy Birthday Henry’ written in blue highlighter. What caught Chris off guard most, however, was the photo inside. It was a picture of Devina and Henry goofing off at the bowling alley. Chris and Regina had taken the kids there on a family date last month. It seemed the outing meant more to Devina than Chris realized. “Ta-da! I made it myself. I thought Henry would want to put it in his room.” the blue-eyed, curly-haired child stated proudly. Chris returned his daughter’s smile and hugged her close. “That’s very thoughtful. I’m sure Henry will love it,” he replied. “Now grab your coat and the other presents, sweetheart. We need to get a move on. I’ll go start the car. Just lock the door behind you.”

It was true, Chris could’ve teleported them to the Mills residence to save time, but he still hadn’t talked with Devina about his abilities (or hers, for that matter) and he’d never been a fan of using magic for simple everyday tasks. Devina met him in the car a few minutes later and the two of them were at their destination in no time. Tons of neighborhood kids were already outside playing, piñatas and balloons hung from trees, and an ice cream truck was parked on the curb. To say that Regina and Emma had gone all out was an understatement. Chris guessed the Charmings also pitched in. Henry was a lucky kid. Devina spotted Regina first and ran into her arms so energetically she almost knocked the raven-haired beauty down. “This is so cool! Where’s Henry? I want to sing to him!” Devina explained excitedly. Chuckling, Regina reminded the little girl that singing had to wait until the cake came out. Devina stuck out her bottom lip momentarily but perked up when Henry came into sight. She left Regina’s embrace to hug the boy she looked up to, seemingly forgetting about the adults surrounding her.

“Do you get the feeling she likes Henry more than she likes us?” Chris joked, pulling Regina into a kiss. The greeting was tender and sweet, like their relationship. Snow White, who was close by feeding Neal a bottle, released an audible ‘awww’ at the gesture. Surprisingly (to Chris at least), Snow had been one of the biggest supporters of his and Regina’s romance. Charming was nice enough but Chris could tell he didn’t trust as easily as his wife. He was protective of his family and Regina was family. Maybe not by blood but that didn’t matter to him. Emma seemed glad for Regina but overall, she was indifferent to the pairing. Mainly because she was focused on dating Hook. “Sorry we’re late. Devina was making something for Henry and time got away from her. I’ve missed you though,” Chris crooned, kissing Regina for the second time in sixty seconds. He hadn’t seen her since dinner last night, which was a long time for the two of them. Ever since they made things officially they were practically joined at the hip. “So how does it feel to be the mother of a teenager? Are you ready for all of the angst about to come your way?”