Henry's Adventures in Fairytale Land
MackenzieW
A/N: I've been working on this Christmas story since May. Because I didn't want a repeat of last year when I ended up posting my Christmas story in January and because I knew this was going to be multi-chaptered.
This is based off the holiday story "Adventures in Toyland" or "March of the Wooden Soldiers." I hope you all enjoy it!
Chapter 1: The Accident
The Mayor's Christmas Ball was Storybrooke's grandest event. Everyone talked about it for weeks, starting right after Halloween. The dress shop had to take people by appointment only and the seamstresses put in overtime to get all their orders filled before the ball. Caterers across town put forth their best dishes, hoping to impress the mayor and win the chance to feed her guests. Musicians practiced all year round in anticipation for auditions. The mayor demanded perfection and everyone in Stoybrooke made sure to give it to her.
Henry Mills, the mayor's son, also looked forward to the ball. It was the only one of his mother's parties that he was allowed to attend. All the children were able to stay up late, eating sweets and playing games. Then, at midnight, Santa would come and visit to give them gifts. Last year, he got a new X-Box but he was hoping for something more this year.
Ever since he was a baby, it had been him and his mother. And that was fine. His mother had done a lot for him and made sure he had never wanted for anything. Yet he still saw the other boys in town with their fathers and wanted what they had. Someone to throw a ball around with (not that his mother wasn't good at that), to take him on camping trips, and to do things Mom normally wouldn't let him do when she wasn't home. A dad to do all the father-son things with him instead of Dr. Hopper. He meant well, but it was embarrassing to go to these events with one's therapist.
He also wanted his mother to have romance in her life. It wasn't like she wasn't happy or that she needed a man. But he saw the other couples walking hand in hand or talking or even just comforting each other. Henry felt his mother should have someone who she could talk to or who would comfort her when being mayor got overwhelming.
(Henry also didn't mind having a brother or sister…or a few of both. Being an only child got lonesome sometimes).
No one knew this was his Christmas wish. After all, it was between him and Santa. Henry also knew everyone would try to talk him out it. They would try to explain that wasn't how love worked and he didn't understand because he was ten. But he did understand. He knew he wasn't going to wake up on Christmas morning with a new dad. It would take time before his mom was ready for marriage. He just wanted Santa to introduce her to the man who would be her husband and his new father. Or rather, he wanted Santa to make one certain man realize he was meant to be with Regina Mills.
"Henry? Are you in there?" His mother's voice wafted down the hallway.
Henry spun around from the window in the big black chair his mother sat in as mayor. "Right here, Mom. Do you need something?"
Mayor Regina Mills stood in the doorway, looking up at her son with dark brown eyes. Like always, she was well-dressed in a gray pencil skirt and dark purple silk top. She wore black heels that Henry was impressed anyone could walk in. It was a good thing he was a boy—he could barely walk in sneakers!
She tucked a short piece of black hair behind her ear as she smiled. "Do you want to see the decorations for the ball?"
"Yes!" Henry jumped up and ran toward the door.
Regina held up her hands to slow him, shaking her head. "Be careful. You don't want to end up with a cast for Christmas, do you?"
Henry shook his head. "Sorry, Mom."
"That's okay." She took his hand. "Come on. Tink and Ruby outdid themselves this year."
Regina led him into the ballroom and he gasped. Tink and Ruby, his mother's decorators, had created a beautiful winter wonderland. Snowflakes hung from the ceiling and there were a few snowmen in the corners of the ballroom. "This is so cool!" he exclaimed.
Tink, a petite woman with blonde hair cut into a pixie cut, popped up next to him. "If you think this is something, you should see what we did with the children's area."
He glanced up at his mother, who nodded. Tink grabbed his hand and ran with him over to the children's area as Regina yelled at them to be careful. Smiling, Tink skidded to a stop in front of double French doors and turned to Henry. "You ready?"
"Yes!" Henry bounced on his toes.
Tink smiled. "Then can I have a drumroll, please?"
Henry drummed against his lap before Tink opened the doors. "Ta da!" she declared.
His mouth dropped open as he stepped into the smaller room. It had been transformed into a land of toys. Teddy bears, dolls, wooden soldiers and other old-fashioned toys filled the room as did more modern toys—like robots, video games and the like. Mr. Gepetto, the town toymaker, oversaw the decorations and he waved to Henry.
"This is amazing," Henry said, looking at Tink. "I mean, I think last year's Candy Wonderland will always be my favorite but this is a good follow up."
"Glad to hear it, little man." Ruby came in, tapping his head. "And don't worry, there will be a whole assortment of candy for you to rot your teeth on."
"Cool," he breathed.
Behind him, he heard his mother laugh before she pulled him in for a one-armed hug. "I knew you would like the candy bar. But don't have too many sweets. You don't want to spend Christmas morning with a stomachache instead of opening presents," she warned.
Tink led him away, wanting to show him a few more decorations. When they were far enough away from Regina, she leaned down. "Don't worry. I'm dressing up as the candy fairy again. I'll make sure you get as much candy as you want. And Ruby's in charge of the ice cream so you'll get a giant sundae as well."
"Thanks, Tink. You guys are awesome." Henry gave her a high five.
Mary Margaret Blanchard, his mother's assistant, entered the ballroom. Henry liked her a lot, considering her an aunt as she had always been in his life. She was getting married soon, to Sheriff David Nolan, and Henry was part of their wedding party. If he was honest, their wedding was the one that made him want his mother to get married even more.
"Regina? Emma called. She says she's just finishing up something at the Sheriff's office and then she'll come pick up Henry for her weekend," Mary Margaret said. "And Robin's here to discuss the ice skating rink."
"Right. Tell Robin I'll be there in a minute." Regina turned to Henry. "Why don't you go get your bag and coat to wait for Emma?"
He nodded, running past Mary Margaret to head back to her office. Henry had known he was adopted since he was eight, when his mother no longer could avoid his questions about why he didn't have a father. She had explained that his other parents had not been in a good place to raise a baby so they let her adopt him in order for him to have a home where he could be loved and safe.
A year ago, his birth mother had shown up in Storybrooke, looking for him. She had gotten someone to hack the adoption records for her, curious about the life her son had. His mother hadn't been too thrilled to see her but eventually agreed to let them spend time together. Emma Swan had decided to stick around and managed to become sheriff of the town. She was even somewhat friendly with Regina, who let her have Henry every other weekend.
Henry had asked Emma about his father. She had grown silent before explaining that she had given birth to Henry in prison due to mistakes she made as a teenager. "Your father was the reason I ended up in prison," she admitted. "So I didn't really want anything to do with him when I got out."
"So you don't know where he is?" Henry ignored his pizza as he leaned forward.
Emma sighed. "Kid…I'll be square with you. I did look him up before I came to find you. Henry, I'm sorry but he died a couple years ago."
"He did?" Henry's stomach sank. "How?"
She took his hand. "He went straight, like me, and was living in New York. One day, his apartment building caught on fire. He got out but heard a neighbor crying for help. She was trapped with her baby."
"Did he rescue them?"
"Yes, but Henry…he wasn't able to make it out himself."
Henry glanced down at his now cold pizza, processing the news. His father was gone and he would never get to know him. But he could take comfort in one thing. "So he died a hero?"
"Yes," Emma said, her own throat tight. She reached for Henry's hand. "Two people are alive because of him. So let's remember him that way."
Henry went home and cried in his mother's arms, managing to gasp out the story. She held him and rocked him. A few days later, she held a memorial for Neal Cassidy in order to let Henry (and Emma) mourn him.
He grabbed his coat and his bag, excited. Especially because he knew Robin was there, just outside his mother's office.
Robin Locksley was the Parks Commissioner and one of Henry's favorite people in his mother's administration, up there with Tink and Ruby. He always stopped to talk to Henry, genuinely interested in the boy's life. And he always managed to get Regina to smile. Henry liked how relaxed his mother seemed in Robin's presence. She shed her stern mayor persona and was the warm person Henry saw at home.
Henry left his mother's office to find her sitting on a couch. She leaned toward the man sitting with her, a smile on her face as she listened to him. Though his back was to the boy, Henry recognized the blond hair and familiar green jacket.
Regina spotted him waiting at the door and waved him over as Robin stopped talking. He turned around, smiling at Henry. "Good to see you. Excited for the ball?"
"Of course!" Henry exclaimed. "You coming?"
"Wouldn't miss it for the world." Robin shook Henry's hand.
"Awesome." Henry adjusted his backpack and turned to his mother. "I'm off to Emma's."
Regina smiled, standing to hug him. "Have a good weekend. I'll see you on Sunday."
"Have a good time, Henry," Robin added. "Maybe you and Emma can stop by the ice skating rink tomorrow? I can hook you up with free passes."
Confused, Henry tilted his head. "The skating rink is always free."
Robin laughed and his mother let out a little giggle of her own. Henry smiled at the sound and decided to drop the matter. Kissing his mother's cheek and fist-bumping with Robin, he left to go meet up with Emma.
Hurrying down the hallway, he took a corner a bit faster than his mothers would've liked and collided with something hard and bounced back a bit. "Oww," he said.
"Watch where you're going, you little brat!" Zelena Greene, the superintendent of schools, crossed her arms as she glared at Henry. "You nearly ran me over."
Henry gulped. "Sorry, Ms. Greene. I shouldn't have been running."
"No, you shouldn't have."
"Henry? Is something wrong?" Robin asked, striding down the hall.
"Robin!" Zelena's demeanor changed and she smiled at the man. While Henry found his mother became her real self around Robin, he knew the person Zelena became was just an act to fool Robin. "What a surprise!"
Robin kissed her and Henry looked away, feeling sick. He spotted his mother down the hallway, staring at the floor, and wanted to run to her to hug her.
"Hey, kid, you ready?" Emma approached him before pausing, frowning at the sight of Robin and Zelena standing arm-in-arm. "Sorry, am I interrupting?"
"No, not at all," Robin said. He clapped Henry on the shoulder. "Go on, have fun."
Henry put on a smile as he walked out with Emma. They got in her yellow bug and drove away. He watched Robin and Zelena walk out of city hall, hand-in-hand, and sighed.
"Penny for your thoughts, kid?" Emma asked as she drove through Storybrooke.
"It's not fair." He turned and looked at his mother. "How can someone so cool and kind like Robin fall for someone mean like Ms. Greene?"
Emma sighed. "It's complicated, kid. People love who they love."
"So you think Robin loves her?"
"Honestly? No."
"Do you think Robin loves my mom?"
"Kid…" Emma glanced at her son before returning her attention to the road. "I don't know. They are pretty good friends."
"Mom loves him."
"I think the entire town knows that. Except Robin, of course."
"Why?"
Emma sighed again. "Some people just aren't good at picking up the signals."
"Like you and Killian?"
She slammed on her breaks, turning to look her son in the eyes. "What are you talking about?"
"Please, Mom, I may be a kid but even I notice the looks he gives you when you aren't looking. They're the same ones you give him."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Henry gave her a look that would make Regina proud. "I may be ten but I'm not stupid."
"I didn't say that," Emma replied. "But you are ten. Maybe you're just seeing things you wish were there?"
"I'm not imagining that Mom loves Robin. And I'm not imagining that you and Killian like like each other."
"I…That is…I mean…" Emma leaned against the steering wheel. "You really think so?"
Henry nodded. "So, what are you going to do about it?"
"I don't know but you wouldn't mind if I did do something about it?"
"Of course not," he replied. "I want you to be happy."
Emma ruffled his hair. "Thanks, kid. But all I want now is some takeout from Granny's. You in?"
They returned to Emma's small apartment and she set up trays so they could watch TV while eating. At home, Henry and Regina always ate in their dining room and there was no TV allowed until after they finished eating so this was a treat for the boy. He settled on the couch with his chicken nuggets and fries while Emma went into her room to change.
He took the remote and turned on his favorite cartoons to watch while they ate. Emma came back, holding two bottles of soda. "You want one?"
"Yes, please." Henry took the sugary drink from her. Regina didn't let him drink soda at home, so it was another treat he only got at Emma's.
Emma settled in next to her son with her pulled pork sandwich. "So, do you want to do anything special this weekend?"
"Not really," he replied with a shrug. "Robin said we could go ice skating."
"We could do that."
Their attention was diverted as the station went from the usual cartoons to their news station. One of the meteorologists, a tall and balding man, stood in front of the weather map. "We interrupt our regular programming to tell you about a blizzard that is making its way across our area. It's expected to hit Storybrooke within the next couple hours and continue through the night. Our models are predicting anywhere between a foot to three feet of snow by tomorrow night. Residents are encouraged to stay indoors and off the roads during the storm."
"Looks like ice skating is out the question," Emma said, turning to Henry. "Sorry."
"That's okay. I'm sure we'll find something to do to wait out the storm," Henry replied. "It'll be fun."
Emma frowned. "I'm sorry, kid, but I'm probably going to have to be on duty all weekend with the storm coming in. I should probably take you back home to your mom's."
"Alright," Henry muttered.
"Henry, I promise I'll make it up to you. I'll talk to Regina and see if she'll let me have you a few days over your Christmas break. How's that?"
"That'll be good." Henry smiled. "I'll go get my bag."
The snow arrived earlier than predicted and the roads were already iced over when Emma took Henry home. She drove as slow as possible, wipers going as fast as possible. "Don't worry, kid. We'll get you home soon enough. It's not that far," she told him.
Henry nodded, staring out at the snow as it swirled in the glare of Emma's headlights. Regina's house was just two blocks away and with everyone staying inside, he figured they'd be there in under fifteen minutes even with Emma's slow speed.
She stopped at the sign, looking both ways. After waiting a bit longer, she eased the car into the intersection. Henry turned his head, seeing the car without its lights coming too late. "Mom! Look out!" he yelled.
He grabbed onto the handle above the door as they spun. The seatbelt had snapped into place, digging into him through his coat to hold him against the seat. He grew dizzy as his stomach churned from the movement. Something white exploded in front of him before it was replaced by darkness.