When Henry Met Penny

by Model Builder

When the Jupiter 2 lands in Storybrooke, Mr. Gold sees the Robinson's ship and the remaining magic bean as his way back to the Enchanted Forest. But Dr. Smith has ideas of his own. And matters get even more complicated for the Robinsons and the Mills/Swan/Charming Charming families when Penny Robinson and Henry Mills discover that they have fallen in love with each other . . . .

1. Meet the Robinsons

"When Henry Met Penny"

A "Once Upon A Time" / "Lost in Space"

Crossover Fanfiction

Part 2: When Henry Met Penny

When the Jupiter 2 lands in Storybrooke, Mr. Gold sees the Robinson's ship and the remaining magic bean as his way out of the cursed town and back to the Enchanted Forest. To do this, Mr. Gold makes a deal with Dr. Zachery Smith to help him take the ship. But Dr. Smith has ideas of his own. And matters get even more complicated for the Robinsons and the Mills/Swan/Charming families when Penny Robinson and Henry Mills discover that they have fallen in love with each other . . . .

Disclaimer: "Once Upon A Time" is owned and created by the team of Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. "Lost in Space" is owned by Irwin Allen and filmed by 20th Century Fox Television. This Fan Fiction Crossover story is the work of a hobbyist having fun with some of his favorite, fictional characters, and nothing more. I hope that this is a sufficient disclaimer.

Acknowledgements: Due to unforeseen plot-twists revealed in Season 5 of "Once Upon A Time," this story had to be extensively rewritten and modified to keep it within established OUAT canon.

I am indebted to my fellow Fanfiction Hobbyists on this site, Argonaut57 and horacethepig, who provided many, very useful suggestions that allowed me to save this story, (without resorting to making my story A/U, or relying on old, time-worn tropes – such as, ". . . it was all a dream,") as well as set the stage for a possible Part Three.

If you are not familiar with either Argonaut57's or horacethepig's works, I encourage you to stop right now and read their stories before you read any more of mine. Their stories are quite entertaining. Trust me; once you start reading what they have written, you may not turn on your television for days . . . .

Historian's Note: This story takes place immediately after the end of the "Frozen" arc in Season 4 of "Once Upon A Time," and is a modification of Season 4, Episode 12, "Heroes and Villains." This modified Episode 12 will begin and end the same way, and OUAT will continue as per established canon.

This story is set immediately after the last episode of "Lost in Space" shown on television ("Junkyard in Space,") and is Part 2 of my own idea for how the series could possibly have ended. Part 1 is a "Once Upon A Time in Wonderland" / "Lost in Space" crossover, and explains, among other things, How the Robinsons ended up in Storybrooke in the first place.

It should be noted that in the OUAT Universe, The Robinsons come from a 'Realm of Fiction' called the "Land of Yesterday's Tomorrows." This is a "Retro-Future" world that depicts how people in the late 1940's through the early 1960's thought that the 21st Century would be like. The Robinsons live in a world with commonplace space travel. There is a base on the moon and a colony on Mars. There are several orbital space stations. On their overpopulated, polluted version of Earth, there are crowded domed cities interconnected by high-speed monorail lines. They have hovering, bubble-top cars, household robots and laser guns.

But there is no internet, cell phones, or iPods . . . .

And just for fun, I will be making my characters somewhat "meta," and I will be treating the different genres of Fairy Tales and Science Fiction as though they were different ethnicities.

As an episode of "Once Upon A Time," the Title Card will depict the "Lost in Space" Robot waving his arms "Danger Will Robinson" style, in the middle of the blue forest setting.

Chapter 1: Meet the Robinsons

"Last week, as you may recall, the Robinson family had just escaped from a powerful witch on a strange, alien world, unaware that they would soon land on another strange world, where they would face many difficult choices . . . ."

They looked like three typical American teenage boys having an afterschool snack at the local diner. The boys had removed their school uniform jackets and ties and were splitting a large plate of French fries as they discussed their plans for the upcoming school dance and their unfortunate lack of dates.

All very typical to the Casual Observer.

But what would our hypothetical "Casual Observer" think if they were told that there was more to these three boys than could be casually observed? For instance, what would this observer think if you told them that two of the boys were not native to our world, and that the third boy, although born in our world, was conceived by parents who were not natives, themselves?

And what if you then told this observer that the boy who was born in our world is a prince, and that his grandparents were none other than Prince Charming and Snow White, and that the other two boys were also likely known to the observer from stories that they read in childhood? One of these two boys was known in his native world as "Hansel" and had a sister named "Gretel." And while the name of the second boy would not ring any immediate bells, the name of the group to which he had once belonged, would: The Lost Boys.

And finally, what would this by now totally incredulous observer think if they were told that the pretty young waitress who came over to the boys' booth to top-off their drinks and ask if they wanted anything else was actually a werewolf?

It's just another typical Friday afternoon in the town of Storybrooke, Maine . . . .

The boys' animated conversation ground to a halt as the pretty waitress came to their table, smiled at them, topped off their drinks and asked if they wanted another plate of fries. "No thank you, Ruby," they said, and she left them to wait on another table. As she left, two of the boys were watching her cute behind a little too closely.

"Will you guys please stop staring at Ruby's rear end?" said Prince Henry Mills the First of Storybrooke, Maine.

"Oh, c'mon, Henry," said Nicholas Zimmer, AKA "Hansel." "You can't tell me that Ruby isn't smokin' hot! I wouldn't mind a chance to get to know her better; perchance to be her One True Love!"

"She's very pretty," admitted Henry. "But she's like a big sister to me!"

"Well, a guy can dream, can't he?" said Bartholomew, late of the Lost Boys. "I mean, it's not like I'm going to the dance, anyway. So I might as well dream big."

"I don't have a date, either," said Nicholas shaking his head in resignation. "My sister said that she would try to fix me up, but so far, no luck."

"What about you, Henry?" said Bartholomew. "I saw you talking to Emily Ratcliff at school this morning before First Period. Did you ask her if she would go with you?"

"Well, I tried to ask her out," said Henry. "But she said that she just likes me as a friend . . . ."

"Ouch!" said Bartholomew. That was the last thing that any boy wanted to hear from a girl; no matter what part of the Multiverse that they came from.

"I think that it is safe to say that every girl here in Storybrooke has me friendzoned," said Henry shaking his head. "This whole, "my mom is the Evil Queen and my grandfather is the Dark One," thing turns out to be a real deal-breaker."

"That's too bad," said Nicholas. "So . . . since none of us is going to the dance, do you guys want to get together my place on the night of the dance and get pizza and play Space Paranoids, or something?"

"I've still got to go to the dance," said Henry shrugging. "My moms and my Grandma Snow want me to help set up, take tickets at the door, make the announcements over the PA, and help clean up afterwards. I might even get to DJ a little."

"But without a date?" said Bartholomew. "How much fun could that be?"

"My family says that it is part of my "Noble Obligation," said Henry glumly. "Part of my "duties" as a Prince of Storybrooke . . . ."

"Harsh," said Nicholas.

"Besides, I may actually get to dance once or twice," said Henry. "Grace Jefferson said that she might dance with me. But that she'll probably get in trouble with her dad, if she does."

"Her dad must really hate you," said Bartholomew. Whatever else Storybrooke may be, it was a small town, and not much was secret.

"Actually, he does like me," said Henry. "It's my mom – Mayor Mills - that he doesn't like. And believe me; he has a very good reason."

"So does everyone here in town," pointed out Nicholas. "I even heard my dad tell Ava that he doesn't want to see her dancing with you, either, Henry; even while telling her how much he likes you, personally." Then, a sly smile came over Nicholas' face. "Of course, things would be different for all of us if the rest of this world found out that you are a prince . . . ."

"What do you mean by that, Nicholas?" said Henry raising an eyebrow.

"I'm just sayin' Henry, that if the rest of the world found out about Storybrooke and that you are an actual prince; it would do wonders for your love life."

"And our love lives, too," pointed out Bartholomew smiling. Oh, yeah, he could see where Nicholas was going with this idea of his very clearly.

Nicholas continued. "If the rest of the world found out that we had a genuine Royal Prince right here in the good old U.S. of A; then none of us would ever lack for an opportunity to meet the fairer sex in our Quixotic Quest for True Love.

"So what if all the local girls here in Storybrooke have you friendzoned, Henry. There is a whole, wide world of hot native girls out there who would jump at the opportunity to fall in love with a real, live prince. For example . . . ." Nicholas took his recently acquired, but already very well-thumbed, "Sports Illustrated 2014 Swimsuit Edition," out of his backpack, flipping it open to a picture of a dark-haired beauty "wearing" a why-even-bother swimsuit who was smiling a come-hither smile out at the viewer.

"Think about it, Henry," insisted Nicholas. "Why bother with Storybrooke girls like Emily Ratcliff when as a prince you could be meeting superhot girls from this world like Emily Ratajkowski!"

"Yeah," said Bartholomew. "And as our good friend, you could ask her to introduce us to some of her swimsuit model friends, too!"

"I would love to meet Nina Agdal!" said Nicholas sighing and grinning big.

"And I'd like to meet Kate Upton!" said Bartholomew grinning even bigger as he held his hands in front of his chest, palms inward, fingers spread, to emphasize his dream-date's most famous assets.

Henry smiled and shook his head. "Guys, I can think of two very good reasons why your Grand Master Plan to Find True Love with hot, native girls wouldn't work. First, the "girls" you just mentioned are not girls; they are women. And they are at least ten years older than we are!"

Bartholomew raised an eyebrow, lowered his voice, and said, "Speak for yourself, Henry. Former Lost Boy here, remember? I'm at least two centuries old, if not older . . . ."

"And I was twelve when I first got here with my sister and everyone else back in '83," said Nicholas. "I've got to be at least in my 40's, by now. But I'm probably even older if you consider how long the story about me and my sister has been around."

"Fair enough," conceded Henry. "But this just brings me to the second reason why I think that your plan for us to fall in love with native hotties won't work.

"What do you think would happen if the rest of this world found out about Storybrooke? Please tell me exactly how we are supposed to meet, much less find True Love with hot "Sports Illustrated" Swimsuit Models when we are all locked up in some Quarantine Cell at Quantico or Area 51 . . . ?"

"Point taken," said Nicholas with a heavy, crestfallen sigh. "So much for any of us finding True Love outside of Storybrooke. Still, it was a thought . . . ." Nicholas shrugged in agreement, and put his magazine back in his backpack.

Henry shook his head again and smiled, helping himself to a few more fries. It might be fun to have this world know that he was a prince and to meet and greet beautiful women who would not care that his mom was the Evil Queen and his grandfather was The Dark One. To native girls this would, ironically, probably make him even more interesting in their eyes. And, of course, his other grandparents – Snow White and Prince Charming – would also make him "quite the catch."

What's more, Henry suspected, these native girls – and women – had probably never dated anybody who was actually looking for True Love and a lifetime commitment, as opposed to meaningless sex with this moment's "It Girl." And while Henry and his friends were as curious about sex as any teenage boy from any part of the Multiverse, as Fairy Tale Boys their fantasies always included the all-important True Love element.

Sure, Kate had an impressive chest, Emily had an awesome belly, and Nina had fantastic legs. But without True Love, that was just a meaningless parts-list to a Fairy Tale boy. (And, Henry suspected, the same was likely true for the boys native to this world, as well. Though Henry also knew from his experience in New York that year with his mother that most native boys would be loath to admit to something like that.)

But as Henry munched more fries, he realized that Nicholas' and Bartholomew's basic idea was not without merit. What Henry and his friends needed was someone the girls here in Storybrooke trusted to give them a proper introduction and to break the ice (an expression that should be pardoned, given recent events here in Storybrooke,) with girls that they wanted to get to know better. And Henry knew just who to ask.

Henry glanced over to where Ruby was waiting on another table. She knew practically everyone here in Storybrooke, and if she was game, she could "talk them up" to the girls they wanted to meet when they came in after school. Henry decided to run the idea by Ruby later when his friends were not there. She was like a big sister to him. Henry was certain that she would agree to help them.

Ruby . . . .

Henry blinked. When did Ruby get back in Storybrooke? Didn't she leave for the Enchanted Forest shortly after Uncle Neil was born . . . ?

It was only then that Henry became aware of some kind of commotion going on outside. The three boys saw people running by the window in the direction of the Town Hall. As they stood to go outside for a closer look, Leroy ran inside, wide-eyed and excited. "We're under attack by men from Mars!" yelled the short, bearded man. "A flying saucer just landed in front of the Town Hall! IT"S A FLYING SAUCER!"

Then Henry's cellphone rang. It was his mom, Regina. "Henry, where are you? Are you alright?" When Henry said that he was at Granny's Diner and that he was fine, Regina continued, "Henry, I need you to come straight over to the Town Hall. I guess I don't need to tell you that we have some new visitors here in Storybrooke . . . ." Henry told his mom that he was on his way. Then the three boys each put $10.00 on the table to cover their snack and a tip for Ruby, and seconds later they were running full-tilt to the Town Hall.

When Henry Mills and his friends arrived at the Storybrooke Town Hall, a large crowd had already gathered there to see the flying saucer that had landed on the front lawn. Henry saw his birth-mother Emma Swan and his grandfather David Nolan in full-on Sheriff Mode, doing all that they could to keep the curious crowd back, away from the spacecraft. When Emma saw her son, she motioned for him to come over to her.

Henry said goodbye to his friends and went over to Emma. "Mom, what's going on, here? Regina called me and told me to come to the Town Hall as quickly as I could." The boy looked at the silver flying saucer that had just landed on the front lawn of the Town Hall.

The ship was big, though its hull was plain and simple. Henry estimated that it was about 50 feet in diameter; a little smaller than the Millennium Falcon of "Star Wars" fame. The saucer had a small, clear dome on top, a large front viewport on the top half, and a smaller one on the lower half. The ship rested on three large landing legs and on the very bottom of the craft, from what Henry assumed was the engine, were lights chasing each other around and around.

"We don't really know, Henry," said Emma. "That . . . spaceship or whatever it is landed about twenty minutes ago. Regina, Mary Margaret and Jefferson are inside the Town Hall speaking with, well, I guess the captain of that ship, or something."

Sheriff David Nolan spoke into a megaphone, and said, "Alright, listen up, everybody! I want everyone to stay back at least a fifty feet from the, uh, flying saucer. Mayor Mills has informed me that she is speaking with the ship's skipper right now. She plans to call a Town Hall Meeting within the next few hours to bring everyone else up to speed. But for now, I need everyone to stand back, behind the barricade, away from the, uh, spaceship!" David shook his head. Of everything that he could imagine himself ever saying as Sheriff of Storybrooke, this was not even in the top ten-thousand. When he said this, many of the townspeople just shrugged and went away.

Of course, in a town that had seen a wraith, a giant, flying monkeys, a snow monster, and even had an enchanted pirate ship moored at the docks; a flying saucer on the front lawn of the Town Hall just wasn't that noteworthy.

Henry said, "Did you see what they look like, mom?"

"The only one that I saw was the ship's captain when Mary Margaret escorted him inside," said Emma. "He looked human enough to me. But you'll get to see for yourself in a moment. Regina told me to send you inside the Town Hall as soon as you got here and to tell you to go to her office. So, better get moving, kid . . . ."

When Henry got to the Mayor's Office, he saw his adoptive mother, Mayor Regina Mills, as well as Jefferson (AKA The Mad Hatter,) speaking with the man who must have come from the spaceship. The man was solidly built and had light olive skin and dark hair and was dressed in a somewhat garish, purple and yellow velour outfit. Henry wondered if it was the uniform worn by the crew of his spaceship. When Regina saw Henry at the door, she motioned for him to come inside, indicated the man sitting across from her, and said, "Professor Robinson, I would like for you to meet my son, Henry. Henry, this is Professor John Robinson, skipper of the Interstellar Spacecraft Jupiter 2."

Henry Mills offered his hand and Professor Robinson took it, smiled warmly, and said, "Well, Henry, that's quite a grip you have there, son."

"Thank you, sir," said Henry returning the professor's smile. "So, where are you from?"

"My family and I are from a planet called "Earth," Henry," said John. "Although I have just been informed by this gentleman," John nodded to Jefferson, "that this world is also called, "Earth." According to Mr. Jefferson here, my family and I are from another "Earth" that exists in a parallel universe."

Jefferson said, "Henry, I believe that Professor Robinson's family comes from a Realm called the "Land of Yesterday's Tomorrows." I have heard of it from other Portal Jumpers, but have never had the chance to go there, myself." Jefferson then described a world to Henry where space travel was developed to the point where there are several large, wheel-shaped space stations in orbit, bases on the Moon, and even a small colony on Mars.

Henry said, "Uh, Professor? Did you say that your family is with you, on your ship?"

"Yes, Henry, that's right," said John. "I'm with my wife, Maureen, and our three children. Our eldest, Judy, is 20. But our daughter Penny and our son Will are about your age. Would you like to meet them, Henry?"

Henry nodded enthusiastically, and said, "How about the rest of your crew, Professor?"

"Well, there is our pilot, Major Donald West, our Robot and, uh, Dr. Zachery Smith." Professor Robinson rolled his eyes when he mentioned the doctor. "You will be meeting them, too, in a few moments, Henry."

"And that is the reason why I wanted you here, Henry," said Regina. "While the adults discuss the Robinson's situation, I would like for you to meet with Penny and Will, and answer any questions that they may have about Storybrooke and this world. Consider it part of your princely duties." Regina gave her son a quick once-over and frowned. "Though you are currently in no condition to receive visitors, much less represent Storybrooke . . . ."

Regina shook her head at her son's somewhat disheveled school uniform. Moreover, Henry had worked-up a sweat running here and he smelled! That would never do. Regina waved her hand and Henry was enveloped in a swirl of dark blue smoke. When the smoke cleared, Henry smelled like he had just showered, and was dressed in his best suit with his hair smartly combed. Henry looked himself over, and said, "Mom, you know that I don't like it when you use magic . . . ." Henry looked from his mom to their guest, surprised that Professor Robinson's reaction bordered on weary nonchalance.

Professor Robinson raised an eyebrow, and said, "Well, that was . . . out of the ordinary."

Regina raised an eyebrow back at him, and replied dryly, "Says the man who just landed a flying saucer in front of our Town Hall." All Professor Robinson could do was shrug at Regina's reply. Then Regina called Emma on her cellphone, and told her to escort the rest of the Robinsons, Major West and Dr. Smith to the large meeting room.

Professor Robinson nodded at Regina's cellphone. "That's quite an interesting communications device you have there, Mayor Mills. I've never seen anything like it in my world. Are they very common, here?"

Regina nodded. "Almost everyone here has a cellphone, Professor Robinson."

Henry took his cellphone out and showed it to Professor Robinson. "It isn't just a telephone, Professor. You can send text messages, get directions, and look things up, and store pictures and video messages. You can even take pictures with it, like this . . . ." Henry pointed his cellphone at Professor Robinson and it made a sound like a camera clicking. Then Henry showed the Professor the small screen with a picture of his surprised face."

"Remarkable, Henry," said Professor Robinson.

"And I can email the picture to you, if you had a cellphone. I can also do a lot of other things with it. The list of apps is almost endless."

Professor Robinson looked impressed. "It's virtually an electronic Swiss-Army Knife."

Before Henry could comment, the door opened and Emma came into the room leading a small group of people and a large 'droid of some kind. One was a woman a little older than Regina, but with blonde hair. A younger woman about Ruby's age, also with blonde hair was being escorted by a young, dark haired man who seemed to be checking out his surroundings suspiciously. There were two other males. One was a freckle-faced boy who looked about eleven years old. The other was an older man with greying, receding hair who was dressed in a black outfit (with a bright yellow panel below the throat that made him look like he was wearing a bib,) who surveyed his surroundings with wary imperiousness.

Then Henry's eyes met the last person in the group and everything else around him seemed to recede into the background. Henry Mills smiled broadly as he found himself staring into the pretty hazel eyes of the most beautiful girl that he had ever seen, and his heart leapt when she returned his smile with a dazzling smile of her own. "H-Hello. I'm Henry. Henry Mills. Welcome to Storybrooke . . . ."

All sounds of conversation fell into the background as he stepped toward the girl, who was wearing a bright lime-green and purple outfit that really set off her pretty, dark-brown hair. Suddenly, Henry realized that the girl had stepped up to him, as well, and now they were barely two feet apart. Now her smile went from broad to almost a shy grin. The girl said, "Hello, Henry. I'm Penny Robinson, and I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance."

Henry blinked. How did she know his name? Then, Henry realized that he had already introduced himself moments earlier, but he had been too distracted at the time. But now his senses were beginning to return to him. Moments ago, he had said, "Hello. I'm Henry Mills. Welcome to Storybrooke." He remembered this as his mind continued to process what was going on around him. Then Henry became aware of three, other things. Both of his moms were trying to get his attention, as was the eleven year old boy from the flying saucer.

"Henry . . . ?" said Regina. "Henry? HENRY!"

"Earth to Henry," said Emma. "Come in, Henry . . . ."

"I said; my name is Will Robinson! Can you stop staring at my sister and talk to me? Your mom said that you would answer our questions about this world, and I am very interested to hear what you can tell us!"

Then, Regina said, "HENRY DANIEL MILLS! I'M TALING TO YOU! PAY ATTENTION!"

"Uh, what?" said Henry. "I-I'm sorry, mom! I guess I was not paying attention. But I'm listening now . . . ." Henry stole another glance at Penny, who held three fingers over her mouth to keep from laughing. But on each side of her cute fingers, Henry could see the corners of her pretty mouth turned up into a smile. "Yes, mom?"

"Henry," said Regina. "Would you please escort Penny and Will to the smaller conference room and answer any questions that they may have about Storybrooke and this world?"

"S-Shure, mom," said Henry. Before he knew what he was doing, Henry held up his right arm and Penny took it with her hands like they had been doing this for years. Once they got to the smaller conference room, Henry pulled out a chair for Penny, and helped her take her seat before taking the seat across from her. As though it was the most natural thing for them to do, Henry and Penny reached across the table, taking each other's hands in their own. As this was happening, Henry became vaguely aware that Will had taken a seat at the table as well.

Will said, "I understand that the people in your town are not native to this world, either. Where do your people originally come from?"

Henry heard Will, but the boy's question could wait. Henry said, "So, how long have you and your family been traveling in space, Penny?"

Will said, "Your mom said that you were supposed to answer our questions, Henry; not the other way around!"

"Will!" admonished Penny. "Don't be so rude to our hosts!" She then turned to Henry, smiled and said, "Several years, now. We left Earth – our Earth – to go to a world orbiting Alpha Centauri to start an Earth colony. For our Earth, that is. But something went wrong and we ended up lost in space. We've been trying to find Alpha Centauri or Earth ever since."

Will made another attempt at communication, "Did your people originally come to this world in a space ship, too, Henry? Or did you come by some form of interdimensional gate or portal, like the kind made by a magic bean?"

But again, Henry ignored Will, and said, "What's it like to travel in space, Penny? I've never met an astronaut before." Henry listened with rapt attention as Penny began to describe how her family was chosen for the Alpha Centauri Colonization Project. But as far as Henry was concerned, she could have been reading the telephone book to him. He couldn't imagine singing angels sounding any better.

Will Robinson just sighed, shook his head and groaned . . . .

In the large meeting room, Regina, Mary Margaret, Emma and Jefferson were joined by David Nolan and Mr. Gold. After sending the Robot back outside to keep watch on the Jupiter 2, the Robinsons, Major West and Dr. Smith explained how they had just escaped from the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland before they finally ended up in Storybrooke.

When they were finished, Regina and Mary Margaret told the Robinsons where they were originally from and how they ended up in this world. Though Regina could see the Robinsons react with concern when she told them that Cora, the Queen of Hearts, was her mother, they quickly calmed down when they could see that the Mayor of Storybrooke, even though she was the former Evil Queen of the Enchanted Forest, was nothing like the evil witch who tried to take Penny from them back in Wonderland.

Looking puzzled, Jefferson said, "The only thing that I don't understand is how you came to Storybrooke when it was your intention to go to the Alpha Centauri of your Realm."

"We told you," said John. "Cora must have done something to the portal made by the bean to send us here, for some unknown reason."

"No," said Regina. "I think I see what Jefferson is saying. Professor, once the portal is made; its destination cannot be changed by any outside magic. It was your intention to go to Alpha Centauri - the Alpha Centauri in your Realm - and yet you ended up here . . . ."

"I'm just telling you what Don and I saw when we flew through the portal," said John, unsure of where Regina was going with her train of thought. John could tell that Regain was not accusing him of lying. She seemed truly perplexed by the situation, as did the other Storybrooke natives.

Don added, "The portal changed colors as we approached it. We tried to pull away, but some unknown force was drawing us into the portal. And then, we ended up here, in your town. I can't explain how or why . . . ."

As the Robinsons and Major West spoke with the leading citizens of Storybrooke, Mr. Gold kept his own council as he silently observed Dr. Smith, who was shifting uncomfortably in his seat from the unwanted scrutiny. Finally, Dr. Smith couldn't take it anymore, and said, "Is there something that you wish to say to me, my good man?"

Mr. Gold smiled, and said, "I'm certain that we have never met before, Dr. Smith. And yet, I cannot help but feel that I know you, or at least, know of you. Now, why is that . . . ?"

"I'm sure that I have no idea, sir," said Dr. Smith indignantly. "As we hale from different Realms, it is unlikely that we have ever met in the past!"

Mr. Gold glanced sideways to make sure that the others were still engrossed in their own conversation, and said, "Oh, I did not say that we had ever met, Dearie; only that I cannot shake the feeling that I know of you somehow, some way . . . ."

"Really, my good man," said Dr. Smith. "I'll have you to know that I –"

But before Dr. Smith could finish speaking, the door to the large conference room opened, and Henry and Penny came in. The two teens stood quietly as they held hands, waiting to be acknowledged. Regina said, "Henry, is there something you need?"

Henry smiled and said, "Actually, mom, we came in to speak with Penny's parents."

John and Maureen turned to the teens, and John said, "Is there something that we can do for you, Henry?"

"Professor and Dr. Robinson," said Henry to John and Maureen. "May I please have your permission to go for a walk with Penny to show her around Storybrooke?"

John turned to Maureen and shrugged. Then turned to the teens and said, "I suppose that it would be alright, Henry."

Maureen said, "But what about your brother, Penny? Won't Will be going with you?"

"Actually," said Henry smiling. "Will wanted to know stuff about this world's Space Program that I couldn't answer. So I got "Interstellar" on satellite for him to watch while we are gone. That should keep him busy for a couple of hours." Then Henry turned to Regina and Emma. "Moms, would it be alright if Penny and I went for a walk?" Though his attention was mainly on his moms, Henry saw Penny's mom and dad look wide-eyed at Regina and Emma, and then back to each other in confusion.

Regina said, "I don't see why not. I'm going to call a Town Meeting in a few minutes to inform everyone in Storybrooke about the Robinsons' arrival. But when we are finished here, we will all be going to Granny's Diner for dinner, and we would like for the two of you to join us there."

"We'll probably be here for a few more hours," said Maureen. She glanced at the clock on the wall, took another puzzled look at Regina and Emma, and said, "It's five o'clock now. Why not meet us at this diner around, say, seven?"

"Why not call just us when you are actually done," said Henry smiling as he held up his cellphone. "We'll be at Granny's by the time you all get there."

"I guess that would work, too . . . ," said John smiling as he shifted his gaze from Regina to Emma several times before looking back at Penny and Henry.

"Hey, kid," said Emma. "Better turn up your ringtone and set your phone on vibrate, or something tells me that you may miss our call." After adjusting his phone, Henry and Penny thanked their parents, and left the conference room holding hands.

When they had left, Maureen turned to Regina, and said, "Uh, Regina, why did your son just now address Emma as "mom," too?"

Simultaneously, Regina and Emma said, "It's complicated . . . ."

Outside of Storybrooke Town Hall, Henry was mildly surprised to see that only a few people were standing behind the barricade set up around the Jupiter 2 as they waited for the Town Hall meeting to begin. They were talking amongst themselves as they occasionally pointed to the Robinson's spaceship. A few of them waved at Henry and Penny as they approached the Jupiter 2, but otherwise made no attempt to get either of their attentions. And none of the observers (they did not even rise to the level of "gawkers,") made any attempt to get past the barricade to get a closer look at the ship, even though David and Emma were not there to stop anyone. Of course, there was the Robinson's imposing looking Robot standing guard under the massive flying saucer.

Penny led Henry to the landing gear where the stairway would take them to the lower deck airlock. But before they could get too close, the Robot moved toward them on its treads, then extended its arms wide in a blocking gesture. "UNAUTHORIZED PERSONEL ARE NOT PERMITTED TO BOARD JUPITER 2."

"Robot," said Penny. "I just want to show Henry our ship. Please let us pass."

"UNAUTHORIZED ENTRY FORBIDDEN."

"Robot . . . ."

"It's alright, Penny," said Henry. "You can show me your ship some other time. Besides, you've been cooped-up in that thing for a long time. I want to show you Storybrooke. And I'd like to start by taking you for a walk on the beach."

The Robot began waving its extended arms up and down. "WARNING! WARNING, PENNY ROBINSON! COASTAL REGIONS UNSAFE!"

"What do you mean, uh, Mr. Robot?" said Henry. "How is the beach unsafe?"

"HIGH LEVELS OF TOXIC WASTE AND DANGEROUS DEBRIS."

"Not on our beach," said Henry. "Oh, you might find an occasional sandwich wrapper or soda can, but otherwise, our beach is clean."

"THAT DOES NOT COMPUTE."

Henry sighed. "Look, Mr. Robot, what part of "clean" do you not understand?" Then to Penny, Henry added, "What's he talking about?"

Penny sighed. "Henry, our world – the Earth that my family is from – is very polluted and overpopulated. That is why we have to live in cities under domes; the air outside isn't safe to breath, anymore. And our oceans, especially the coastal areas, are extremely dangerous because of so much toxic waste hugging the shoreline. That is why our world sent the Jupiter 2 to Alpha Centauri, to try and find a new world that may be colonized. Our idea is to relieve our Earth by sending as many people there as possible while those who remain behind attempt to clean our world up."

Henry nodded. What Penny said was horrible. But then he offered her a smile, and said, "Our beach is safe. So safe, that we can even walk barefoot at the shoreline. I do that all the time when I want to be alone and think. Please let me show you."

"CAUTION IS ADVISED," said the Robot.

Henry said, "Trust me, Mr. Robot. I would never do anything to put Penny in any danger."

"That would be wonderful, Henry," said Penny smiling broadly. "I've only seen people walk barefoot on the beach in really old movies!"

"Great! Then, let's go!" Henry took Penny's hand, and the two teens slipped under the barricade, and went off for a romantic walk on the beach . . . .