Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT
Warning: This fic is filled with warm fluffy cheese. Viewer discretion is advised.
A/N: This is AU 2x19. I was inspired by the pics and am highly disappointed it was a horrible dream.
Birthday Wish
X -x-x-x-x- X
His eyes brightened as he looked at the lit candles, all eleven shining and illuminating his face. He grinned at everyone and leaned in to blow them out.
"Wait," a voice stopped him and all looked at the owner of the building they were in. "I have one last gift for you." Mr. Gold came forward and leaned in next to Henry, putting his hand on the boy's back. "You know how they say, 'make a wish and blow out the candles?'"
The child nodded. "Yeah."
"Well, what if I told you it would come true this time?" The candles sparked at his words, turning purple for a moment and then going back to normal.
Henry lit up like the fire burning next to him. "Whoa, really? You mean it?"
Gold nodded and patted his back. "Yes. Make a wish and it'll come true."
"Wait a minute," his mother stepped in. "What if he wishes for something really out there?"
Gold shook his head at the Savior. "He can only wish for things that are in the realm of possibility."
"So...I can't break curses?" Everyone looked at the birthday boy after he asked that.
David smiled. "You mean like the town line?"
Henry nodded. "Or people with memory loss..."
It went silent as all eyes looked at Gold and then the floor. Finally, after a long breath, he spoke, "I appreciate the sentiment, Henry. But this is a simple spell. It can't fight powerful magic."
Henry sighed and turned back to his cake. "Okay."
"And no infinite wishes, either," Gold added making the boy giggle and roll his eyes.
Henry thought about it, and smiled as the perfect idea came to him. "I got it!" He inhaled sharply and blew with force, diminishing all the flames which smoked out in purple puffs. All looked around and nothing happened. Henry turned from the counter and stared at the door, waiting for something to happen.
"Well, my shop didn't explode, so that's good," Gold joked, but as he did a shadow cast itself outside, darkening the already dark room. Henry ran to the door and the little bell practically fell off as he slammed it wide open, all the adults gasping at what they saw.
Henry sped towards his wish jumping up and down. "It worked! It worked!"
Everyone exited the shop to see a huge basket sitting in the street.
Which was attached to a giant hot air balloon.
Mouths hung open on parents and grandparents alike as they gazed at the rainbow striped dirigible. All were speechless, having no idea how to react as the boy continued to jump up and down. "Well..." Gold started hesitantly, "...that is...a very imaginative wish, Henry. Bravo." Emma turned and laid a death glare right at him. He blinked at her. "What?"
She sputtered. "What do you mean, what? He can't have a hot air balloon!"
Henry whined. "Aw, come on, mom! We can go for a ride, just once and then Mr. Gold can poof it away!"
"Yeah, I can just poof it away," Rumple mocked in a high pitched tone.
Emma stomped her foot. "This is not funny!"
Mary Margaret snickered behind them. "It's kinda funny..."
Emma crossed her arms. "No, it isn't because now I have to be the big mean mom and say no."
Gold chuckled. "Oh, come on now. It's not like he's gonna get whisked away to OZ." Emma deepened her glare and he put a hand up. "Look, it was brought here by magic. I can personally guarantee that he will be safe."
Emma scoffed. "How can you personally guarantee anything?" She paused and suddenly flashed that, 'Oh, I'm so totally gonna pwn you,' smirk. "Unless you go with him..."
Gold looked confused and then horrified as he slowly backed away from her. "Ohhhh, I don't think so..."
David came up behind him and slapped an arm around his shoulder, stopping his retreat. "Ohhhh, I do think so. Because if I remember correctly, you owe me a favor." The Dark One pursed his lips at the former prince, receiving a few slaps on the back. "Welcome to the family, grandpa."
"Well, there's no way I'm letting you be alone with my son in a floating fireball, so I'm going too."
Gold blanched. The way she said that... "The boy will be your undoing..." that damn voice sang in his head and he shook it away, his regular scowl back in place once again.
Henry grinned at his mom. "Awesome. You comin' too, dad?"
Neal looked shocked at being invited but quickly smiled. "Uh, yeah...sure. Just lemme make a phone call first."
Emma sighed. "Seriously?"
Neal paused. "We might go too high and the cell reception...so yeah..."
Emma shrugged. "Fine." He went off to make his call as David and Mary inspected the basket.
"You two wanna come?" Henry asked them and they looked at each other.
"We need a break from this craziness," David sighed with a smile.
"With more craziness?" Mary giggled back. "Uh, is there room?" She looked inside at the large basket as Henry opened the door to the front.
"Of course there is. That's what I wished for." Neal came over as Henry gleamed at his wish.
"What do you mean, kid?" Emma asked as he hopped in, her following with Neal behind them.
"I mean I wished for a basket big enough for all my family to come with me." He grinned as his charming grandparents stepped in, his parents staring at each other in shock.
Neal shook his head in disbelief. "We have the most awesome son ever."
Emma nodded. "Yeah."
Henry turned to the last person not to enter the basket. "What about you?"
Gold stood, his cane in front of him clasped by both hands and sighed. He shook his head and stepped forward. "Well, I do owe your other grandfather a favor..."
Henry stopped him. "Wait. I don't want you to come 'cause you're being forced. I want you to come 'cause you want to come."
Gold stopped, confusion sweeping him followed by an unreadable expression. "You...don't want me there..." he paused and swallowed. "Do you?"
Henry chuckled. "Yeah, I wished for a basket big enough for my whole family. And you're my family...right?"
Gold stiffened as the seers' prediction echoed, ice forming in his stomach. He cleared his throat and looked to the ground, eyes darting around, shifting uncomfortably.
Emma groaned in exasperation. "Oh, suck it up tough guy and get your ass in the basket." Snickers and snorts sounded behind her.
Gold rolled his eyes and stepped inside. "Well, it doesn't matter what favors I owe or what I want; someone has to pilot the thing." He raised a hand and the flame burst up, the basket rising off the ground.
Henry beamed ear to ear, looking up at the man that made this all possible. "Cool."
The old deal maker simply nodded, feeling something inch into his core, but shrugged it away, not letting the smile that looked just like Bae affect him.
They couldn't go far, what with the line problem still prevalent, so they just sailed a little above the town. Gold also explained to the adults in a hushed tone that they couldn't go too high because he had no idea how far the safe bubble of Storybrooke went into the atmosphere. That made a very worried tone enter the space, but he assured them all would be fine.
They flew over the clock tower and watched as several cars pulled over, people looking up and pointing. Then granny's diner, seeing Ruby outside sipping a drink, which she promptly dropped and gasped, yelling for granny to come out and see. Everyone in the diner did as well as the owner, pointing and chattering.
"Hi!" Henry waved to all of them, some waving back, but the ones that really knew him were ecstatic. Ruby was jumping up and down waving her arms, laughing with her wide infectious smile. Dr. Hopper was trying to hold Pongo back, who seemed excited from all the commotion as well, everyone cheering Henry on.
Henry laughed. "This is awesome!"
Gold chuckled as he stood next to him. "You know what would be really awesome? A couple of well aimed water balloons."
Henry laughed as Emma shook her head. "I don't think so."
"All in good fun, Miss Swan," Gold replied.
"Yeah, fun influencing my son," she half joked, smirking as she crossed her arms in fake anger. "I don't know about this."
Henry tapped Gold's arm. "Relax, mom. Mr. Gold won't do anything." He turned to face him. "Right?"
"Then I'll just have to kill him..." the Dark One laughed and Gold swallowed the feeling back, stepping away from him. "Right." He hit the back of the basket and Neal stood beside him.
"What's the matter? Afraid to ruin your reputation?" he asked incredulously.
Gold chuckled. "Well, seeing me laughin' it up in a floating rainbow balloon might just do that."
Neal shook his head. "That's a load of crap. You're just afraid to get attached."
He looked away from his son and out to the clouds. "Finding out he's my grandson...changes things..." Neal nodded in agreement, but he had no idea what Gold really meant.
He didn't even know what it meant...
They finally landed and Henry sighed as he stepped out of the basket. "I wish I could keep it..."
Emma snorted. "Yeah, this would be really hard to store in the garage."
Rumple looked at this mismatched group of people that were somehow family. How Fate had managed to put his son and Snow White's daughter together. It was laughable. It was idiotic.
It somehow made sense.
He sighed and shook his head, watching the boy go on and on about how great it all had been. When he gave that small spell to Henry, he was only trying to appear like the loving grandfather. Like everything could be somewhat normal between all of them - even though he had just recently used the child's own grandmother to murder someone - and he himself had nothing more than kind feelings toward him.
It should make him sick, but it wasn't. He had to keep a watchful eye on the boy. He had to make sure if anything happened, anything at all, he would be ready. All that his power told him was that a boy would cause something bad to happen to him. He had no idea what.
It was infuriating.
So, he would bide his time and pretend to be nothing but nice to Henry. And if anything were to happen...
Then he'd what?
"I'll just have to kill him."
He swallowed. Kill his son's...child?
"Your Papa's here..."
Knives of ice pierced his gut and he straightened his back, trying to hide the discomfort. "I still wish I could keep it..." he heard Henry say and sighed.
Damn it all.
"How about this then?" He snapped his finger and the balloon disappeared in a huge purple fog, dissipating quickly and revealing a very expensive looking bicycle in its place.
Henry gasped and ran to it. "Oh, wow! A ten speed mountain bike!"
"Are your sure you're big enough to ride it?" Emma teased and he swatted her away.
"Yeah, I am!"
They inspected the bike as Gold stayed behind. He tried to ignore the pleasant feeling sweeping through him at seeing the child jumping for joy, laughing and happy at something he had done for him. He tried to stop the pride at being the best gift giver at his birthday. Something he could never do for his own son. He tried to stop it.
He tried and failed miserably as a small smile crept on his face.
"Henry, look." Mary Margaret pointed to the seat and Henry's eyes widened as he saw what was on it. Etched onto the black leather was a perfect replica of his balloon, rainbow stripes and all.
He turned and faced the most feared man in Storybrooke, the monster, the beast and ran to him at top speed, wrapping his arms around his midsection in an earth shattering hug.
Or at least it felt earth shattering to Gold as he stumbled back from the force, his leg screaming from the pressure. He wasn't used to a child, or anyone at all, plowing into him with full force and just as he got his bearings, Henry let go and smiled sheepishly. "Thanks, Mr. Gold." He smiled again with nothing but adoration in his eyes.
And the ice cracked.
He took in a shaky breath, hand trembling as it gently touched the boy's head. "You can call me grandpa if you want." Henry grinned in response and ran back to play with his new toy.
"The boy will be your undoing."
She had been right, of course, but as he watched Henry get on his bike and do a victory lap, the others clapping and cheering, he wondered if undoing was really a bad thing...
~End