First time ever writing a family piece. I was watching this Frank Sinatra movie last night, Can-Can (if you like musical comedies, I recommend it) and, for some reason, this idea struck me.
Never have I ever written and posted something this fast. I always takes me a while of coaxing to post.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy. It's all very light, as per usual.
No Zelena baby, because that's too much for me.
Much love,
Nat'
.:.
Storybrooke isn't as small as it might feel sometimes. Every now and then they manage to discover something new, meet someone they have never seen before, find a new, cool spot.
Which they had, during a walk in the woods. Roland, walking ahead of them a little, had stopped and looked straight ahead, making Robin and Henry pause their talking and look at him.
"Something wrong?", he had asked.
"No", the six year old answered. "There's a clearing here."
Walking to him, they looked beyond the trees. And, sure enough, there was a pretty cool clearing a few meters from them, complete with a pond that looked pretty good for swimming.
"Huh. Haven't seen this in the map", Robin mused beside him.
"Can we go in?" Roland asked.
"I don't see any sign, I don't think it's private property."
So they had. And it was a very nice clearing, so they went back to it on the next weekend, Regina in tow. She also didn't know anything about the new found place.
"Is this inside town limits?", she wondered, looking over Henry's shoulder at the map he was holding. "Maybe we crossed it and didn't notice."
Because they could do that now and come back home safely.
They enjoyed their new secret spot for three weekends in a row, no one bothering them. On the fourth, they started to build a tree house. Regina offered to magic one in, but they refused, said it would be fun.
After a month, he was with Robin down at the car shop, trying to sort something with the carburetor. Roland was home, asleep, and Henry had Emma waiting for him at his grandparent's loft, they were preparing Neal's big two year old party, and Robin was dropping him off.
Currently sitting on a chair, waiting, he was on the last few pages of the book he had been reading for a week, when he heard Prince Phillip walk in.
"Robin, hello", the man greeted. The both of them struck in light conversation, nothing very interesting, until Phillip said something about the woods, asking if Robin and the rest of the Merry Men would join him for something or other.
"Yeah, sure", was the answer he got. "I'm just dropping my son at his grandparent's, then I'll call everybody and meet you there."
Henry froze – not that he was moving much -, his eyes stopping on the word "unpredicted" on his book.
The men continued talking over the car, now laughing about the fact that after two years in Storybrooke, they still didn't understand much about how vehicles worked, but Henry was deep in thought.
He forced himself to finished reading the book, but he would later have to go back to it, since he did not absorb a word of the last page.
That night, while helping Regina with dinner, he decided to share the little fact with his mom.
"Robin called me his son today."
Raising her head from the cherry tomatoes she was picking for the salad, her eyes were big on him.
"He- he did?"
"Yeah."
It took her a moment to gather her thoughts.
"And how do you, uh... How do you feel about that?"
He deliberated his answer.
"At first, I wasn't sure. Officially, I guess he's my step dad", she smiled a little at that, raising her eyebrows and tilting her head in agreement. "But I guess there's no harm, in him calling me 'son'."
"Yeah... I think there isn't", she agreed, her voice soft, and her casual smile causing one to appear on his face too.
.:.
A few days after that, he wasn't sure how many, Emma was squirming on the passenger seat of the bug while he drove it to the docks, Killian holding Neal on the back seat, the book Mary Margaret had once given Henry opened on his knee for the baby to inspect.
"It's still so weird, to sit here". She squirmed again, turning a towards him. "You're getting pretty good at this."
"Well, it's not that hard. It's easier than the Jolly Roger."
"Once you learn how to navigate her, anything else is mundane, really", Hook offered his input.
"Emma! Emma, Emma!" Neal squealed from the pirate's lap, looking at Henry's old book, where he saw a picture of his sister.
"That's right, buddy, that's me!" she smiled at the toddler.
"Look!" Pointing his little finger, he turned his head, making sure Killian saw it too.
"It's funny how this book manages to capture every generation's attention", Henry mused, looking back from the rear view mirror to the street in front of him.
"It does hold our family history", Emma reminded him.
They arrived at the docks, Henry parked the bug and they descended the car, Neal attaching himself to Emma's neck when Killian transferred him from his arms to hers and went to find Mr. Smee.
"So how's the tree house going?" She asked while they slowly made their way after Hook.
"It's done, actually. We're bringing a few stuff there tomorrow. Roland's beyond himself with excitement."
"I can imagine."
"I think he misses living in the woods, sometimes."
"Makes sense."
They approached the Jolly Roger and Henry made his way inside first, offering his hand to Emma, to help her on the steps, since she had Neal on her arms.
"She's in perfect conditions, Captain!" They heard Mr. Smee exclaiming, running a rag on a post, while Killian examined the ship. "Will you not take her for a sail? You must miss her."
"Not today. I'm taking Emma and my boy on a trip next month, I'm sure she'll do beautifully. Today, we'll take Leia for a spin."
(Leia being the vessel he had... Procured for Emma on her birthday last year. It's origins were very mysterious. "I am a pirate, love", was all the explanation he was willing to give.)
Henry and Emma looked at each other when the words "my boy" were said, both caught off guard. Henry was always "her boy" to Killian, or "the lad", sometimes "mate", or "sailor", when he was on a lesson. Never "my boy". That was a first.
He lifted his brows to his mom, and she shrugged at him, offering him that playful smile. When he made "what are you gonna do" gesture, she chuckled and placed a kiss on his forehead.
While they steered the small boat through Maine's waters, his mom pointing the distant clock tower to an excited Neal and Killian occasionally giving him directions and instructions, Henry thought about Baelfire.
He would always be his father, and would always be remembered. As would, in a less intense way, maybe, the man that had given him his middle name, and had never met him (not counting that freaky Doctor Frankenstein deal), since he made his mother so happy, once upon a time.
But for now – and by the looks of things, for a very, very long time, if the way Robin looked at Regina and Killian at Emma -, his share of dads was still pretty good. Better than most, he would say.
A savior for a mom, a runaway for a dad. A queen for another mom, a stable boy for a (middle) name-sake. Prince and princess for grandparent's, a Dark One for the grandfather, an outlaw and a pirate for step dads, a step brother, and a tiny little prince for an uncle. Plus a few other aunts and grandparents/great-grandparents/great-great-grandparents and step... whatever.
If he had ever come up with such a thing as Operation Family Tree, it's results would be most successful.
.:.
I have plans for more of these. Should I?