Henry's Magical Halloween

A/N: This one was done in a bit of a rush so I apologize for any issues. I just really wanted to do a cute Halloween story with our favorite people since they never really do a true Halloween episode. Also, even though a lot of the show is about Henry, we don't really get to see as much of him as we used to or really feel things from his perspective. He's actually a really good character to write with because he's sort of at the center of everything and likes everyone.

Ok...get prepared for some Grandpa Gold & Henry bonding, guys! *sniffles* ;-)

It was the beginning of October and Henry had just convinced Grandma Snow to announce a Halloween Bash for the whole town. His friends at school had mentioned it and then his whole class got excited about the idea. They might be a little old for trick-or-treating but you were never too old for costumes-or candy!

Snow had agreed it was an awesome idea and declared she would definitely get the ball rolling ASAP. Then, she had starting on about what costume Neal should have, and Henry quickly found an excuse to disappear. He loved his little Uncle, but he was not too interested in baby clothes-even Halloween ones.

Now he was wandering around on this brisk Autumn day, just wasting time and thinking about who would be good to help plan the Halloween festival. He was lost in thought and didn't realize he was close to the library until a familiar voice called out.

"Hey, Henry." It was Belle, sweeping the sidewalk in front of the library doors. She seemed her usual friendly self.

"Hey," he answered with a smile as he approached her. "Sorry, I didn't see you."

"It's fine, Sweetie," she said, still sweeping. "So, what's new? School okay?"

Henry stuck his hands in the pockets of his black jacket. "Yeah, it's cool. Actually, we had an idea about a Halloween festival thing."

"Halloween-that's the one with the costumes and candy, right?"

"Yeah..." Henry looked at her strangely, then: "Oh! You're still kinda new to the modern holiday stuff. Right. I keep forgetting that." Belle had been locked up while everyone else had developed lives as their Storybrooke personas.

Belle laughed. "It's fine. I'm just used to it being called Samhain or All Hallow's Eve and everyone stayed inside to hide from the spirits in case your carved turnip failed to frighten them away."

Huh? "Wait-a turnip!?"

"Yep, they used to carve turnips instead of pumpkins. Pretty weird huh?"

"Totally." A thought occurred to him. "Hey, since you know so much about the old Halloween stuff, maybe you could help me plan this thing?"

Belle smiled. "Sure, I would love to!"

Henry grinned mischievously. "Operation Pumpkin is on!"

Henry had left Belle at the library to think of some traditional Halloween ideas to utilize for the festival. Now he was walking down Main Street wondering who could help with decorating. Both Emma and Snow weren't that into decor stuff. Both grandpas would be even less help in that department. Hmm.

Suddenly Henry smelled a familiar perfume and turned around to see his mom-the regal one-emerging from a...well whaddya know! A home decor shop! Regina loved that sort of thing as long as it was her taste. He should have thought of her instantly. "Hey, Mom."

Regina looked surprised to see him. "Henry...what are you up to, Sweetheart?"

"Oh nothing much. Just planning the biggest Halloween Bash ever." He gave her a huge grin.

Regina arched a perfectly defined eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Yeah, and I kinda need someone to help with the decorating..."

"Are you asking me?" She looked hopeful and Henry was glad. He was afraid she'd be too busy.

"Yep!"

His mom smiled a big, genuine smile despite the fact that she looked like she was going to cry. "Oh, Henry, that sounds great. I'd be delighted to."

"We're calling it Operation Pumpkin, by the way. So far it's just you, me, and Belle. She's doing the research and I'm just sort of recruiting people."

Regina laughed. "Sounds good, kid."

"Alright, then. I'm off to find some more helpers." She smiled but looked a little sad to see him go. "Oh, and Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you."

Her voice cracked when she answered. "I love you too, Henry."

So, decorator and research assistant down. Now for...food! That should be easy. Granny and Ruby would probably love to cater. Henry strolled down to the diner.

"Hey kiddo," said Ruby as he walked in.

"Hey," Henry responded with a smile. "What's up?"

Ruby leaned on the counter. "Nothing at all, really. Business has been super slow this week since the new deli opened up."

Henry hopped up on a bar stool. "Well, I guess since it's only like the fifth restaurant in town, people are excited. They'd flip if they ever saw a Starbucks."

Ruby looked confused. "A what?"

Henry chuckled. "It's an overpriced coffee shop, but everyone loves it. After my time in New York I realized how much stuff we don't have here."

"Yeah, that must be weird," Ruby said. "I would like to see outside of this town one day."

"Yeah. We've gotta figure that out somehow if we can ever get done with these crazy villains appearing out of nowhere." Henry sipped a soda Ruby had brought him. "So, do you think Granny would be up to catering something?"

"Probably. For how many?"

"Umm...the whole town."

Ruby's eyes went wide. "Are you serious!?"

Henry smirked. "Yep. I'm planning a Halloween festival, with a little help."

"That's awesome! We might need a little help ourselves, but I'm sure I can get Granny on board."

"Okay, awesome! Thanks!"

"Glad we could help."

After that, Henry got Geppetto to help make some wooden carnival games. He asked Dr. Whale and Dr. Hopper to talk to kids about strangers and other trick or treating safety. Emma, David, and Hook offered to help with general crowd control and event setup. The dwarf boys would help with various things. The nuns would offer their assistance in this and that, and a few more people volunteered random , almost everyone Henry knew pretty well was part of Operation Pumpkin in some way...except Grandpa Gold.

What Henry really wanted was for some really neat magic. Nothing dangerous, but just impressive. Halloween was magical anyway, but he really wanted this thing to go down in Storybrooke history, and nobody had as flair for theatrics like Rumplestiltskin.

Henry wasted time until it got dark, procrastinating approaching his grandpa. Finally he decided to ask Belle for help. She was finishing up in the library for the day and was alone. The place was dark except for a couple of table lamps and it made Henry feel anxious. After his time in New York he'd grown a little more paranoid and though Storybrooke was a pretty safe place, it still concerned him to see his sorta-grandma all by herself in a dark building.

"Hey, Belle."

She jumped at his voice. "Oh! Hey again. How's your planning going?"

"Great, actually." He helped her put some books back where they belonged. "Hey, it's a little spooky in here at night, huh?"

"Hmm? Oh yeah, I guess so. I get so engrossed I don't really notice." She scrunched up her nose in concentration while she stuffed books onto the shelf.

"Does Grandpa know you're here by yourself like this? I mean, now that it's getting dark earlier?" Henry handed her the next stack of books. "Cause it kinda worries me, and I was thinking I could swing by before dinner everyday and make sure you get home safely if he's too busy."

Belle beamed at him. "Oh Henry, that's so thoughtful. I guess you're right that it's not the safest thing. I hate for you to waste your evening on me, though, Sweetie."

"It's cool, really! I have a lot of homework this year and its super hard to concentrate at home with the baby screaming and stuff. I could come here after school and look out for you while I do my homework. Plus, we've got this Halloween stuff now too and we're kinda the brains behind the operation."

Belle climbed down off the step ladder and smiled at him. "Are you sure?"

"Positive." He fidgeted and Belle noticed. "But one little favor would be awesome."

"Yes?"

"Well...do you think...I mean...would Grandpa help us with a little magic? Just for show, you know! Like Gandalf's dragon or something, but more Halloween-ish. I want everyone to remember this."

Belle smiled. "I'll see what I can do, okay? Your grandfather is...complicated, but generally not unreasonable."

"Okay. Thanks Belle." She seemed hopeful so that was a good thing.

"You're welcome, kid. Now care to walk me home?"

"Sure." He offered her his arm. "Shall we, my lady?"

Belle laughed and took his arm. "Thank you, good Sir."

Belle nearly had the keys in the door when it opened. Rumple was grinning smugly. "How do you do that every time?" She laughed.

"Magic," said Rumple and Belle made an are-you-serious? face. "I hear your heels as soon as you hit the walkway, Darling."

Henry snickered and Rumple noticed him for the first time. "Henry. What brings you here, my boy?"

Belle patted Henry on the shoulder. "He's offered to start walking me home now that it's getting dark early."

"That's very thoughtful of him," said Rumple, but Henry rather thought his grandpa looked suspicious of him.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Henry," Belle said, and gave him a little wink that told him she hadn't forgotten their deal.

Henry walked home with all sorts of great ideas in his head. He just hoped Grandpa Gold would be willing to make the night truly magical.

The next afternoon Henry hurried to the library to find out if Belle had an answer yet. She did.

"He says he'll think about it," she said, "but I'm hopeful that he will. He normally just outright refuses if the answer is 'no,' so this is practically a 'yes.' He just still struggles with his connection to the people in this town, and this kind of thing is hard for him."

Henry frowned. "Yeah, I guess it makes things pretty awkward. Same with my mom. I have a pretty complicated family."

Belle smiled. "Yeah, you do; but hey, it's my family too now. It's a little weird being my age and having a step-grandson, but I'm okay with it."

Henry laughed. "I never would have guessed that Snow White is my grandmother, the Not-So-Evil-Queen is my mom, and the Princess of Books is my new grandmother."

"Haha! I like that. I think I'll tell Rumple to refer to me like that from now on."

Henry smirked. "Hey, since you read so much...do you know anything about biology? I have a test on Friday and I'm totally confused on this chapter."

"Ehh...a little bit. Get your books and we'll figure it out together."

Finally, it was the day before Halloween and it was time to start setting up. Snow had declared it a two-day holiday and insisted all the kids be let out of school. His class was excited to help set up tables, platforms, and games. A lot of the girls wanted to help with decorations but some of the parents didn't want them working with Regina.

Henry's friend Kelsey had convinced her parents that if Henry said his mother had really changed then it was good enough for her. She had actually approached Regina personally and introduced herself, and they were currently chatting about the decorations as if they were old friends. Henry was surprised that his mom had accepted her so well, but they actually seemed to have hit it off. Occasionally, Kelsey would look his way and give him a little smile, and he felt himself blushing.

Granny had teamed up with the other restaurants to cater. It was far too much for her tiny little diner. Ruby had informed him that the owner of the new deli was an older man who seemed to have a bit of a crush on Granny, who firmly denied any return of affection, but had been acting strange for weeks.

Henry was anxiously waiting for Belle to arrive so he could find out if his grandpa was going to help or not. Eventually he spotted her talking to Grandma Snow and he wished she'd hurry up. She was oohing and ahhing over the baby and Henry was growing more impatient by the minute. Finally she started walking his way, baby Neal on her hip.

"Hey, Henry, sorry I'm late," Belle said, bouncing the baby. "Rumple had a minor crisis at the pawnshop."

"Is he going to help?" Henry blurted out.

"He's acting weird so...I think so." She rolled her eyes. "He still thinks he's being mysterious when he does that, but I'm pretty good at figuring him out." She laughed, then talked to Neal in that weird voice grownups always used when talking to babies.

Henry grinned. "Awesome! I really hope so."

Belle smiled. "I know. I told him how much it meant to you and dropped some hints that I'd be pretty upset with him if he refused."

"Thanks...Grandma!" he teased.

"Hey, you!" They both laughed.

Later that night Henry panicked when he realized they'd never gotten music for the festival. Luckily, Kelsey's older brother was in a band and they were totally up for rockin' their own versions of some popular Halloween songs...and a few of their own songs. Hey, free publicity!

Henry struggled to sleep that night as he went over and over things in his head. He felt sure he'd forget something important. He tossed and turned until finally he drifted off to sleep, visions of candy corn dancing in his head.

It was officially Halloween! Henry practically bolted out of bed and got ready to head out and finalize things for the Bash. He checked in on Regina, who said they were nearly finished with the decorations. Grandpa David said they were ready to roll with security and such. The games were set up, as was the stage for the band and the picnic tables. Everything was pretty much ready.

"Hey, kid." It was Emma.

"Hey, Mom. What's up?"

"Nothing much. Just wanted to check in on you. Haven't been seeing as much of you lately. Even before the Halloween thing."

Henry felt a little guilty. "Yeah, I know. I love you guys, but it's just a little hard being crammed in that small apartment."

"I know. I'm still looking for a new place but it's kinda hard to get people to move around here. Everyone's pretty much happy where they are and there's not a lot of real estate turnover." Emma gave him a weak smile.

"It's cool, Mom. I'm fine. I'm a teenager now. I'd be bored at home no matter where it was."

Emma laughed. "Yeah, I suppose so, kid. So I hear you and Belle are getting to be pretty close these days."

"Yeah, she's cool. She helps me with my homework and I look out for her at the library. That place is creepy at night, but she gets so caught up in her books that she would never have noticed if I hadn't said anything." Henry shrugged. "People here, they kinda think it's Mayberry with magic, but it's not. Just because we've had our share of obvious villains, doesn't mean there aren't other weirdos in this town. That's why I'm getting the doctors to talk to the kids about strangers and stuff."

Emma smiled, though it was a little sad. "You're smart, kid. I'm kinda glad we had that trip to New York. It still freaks me out how many people leave their doors unlocked here. I mean, yeah, it's low-crime, but still. Anyway, I gotta get back to the station, but I'll be back later. I love ya, kiddo." She ruffled his hair.

"I love you too, Mom."

Henry lay his costume on the bed and examined it. Oh yeah! Perfect! He'd bought it on clearance after Halloween the year before and had put it away for this year. It was a really detailed vampire costume with a velvet-lined cape and fancy buttons. He'd be nearly as classy as Grandpa Gold! He slipped on some black pants and boots, a white dress shirt, a brocade vest, and finally the cape. Looking sharp! Just one thing left. He grabbed the hair gel and slicked his hair back, then roughed it up a little. All done. He checked himself out in the mirror and grinned. Sweet! With a swagger in his step, he set out for the Halloween Bash.

Lots of people were already out and about headed for the festival. He passed Ruby, who was dressed like a black cat, and Dr. Hopper, who was a zombie. Henry was amused that they seemed to be flirting with each other a little. Who knew? He carried on and enjoyed seeing all the cool costumes. Every now and then he was really surprised by one, considering the wearer's personality.

Eventually he ran into Grandma Snow and Grandpa David, who were dressed like archaeologists with baby Neal as a little mummy. It was totally lame but kinda cute. He supposed it was pretty weird for people who actually WERE fairy tale characters to decide on costumes when most of the costumes were, well, fairy tale characters.

He heard Emma call out and she was dressed like a cowgirl, though with jeans instead of a denim skirt. Killian apparently thought it was funny to dress like a pirate-though a much goofier looking one than he actually was. He even had a fake talking parrot attached to one shoulder, and Emma threatened to make him walk the plank if he didn't stop annoying her with it.

Henry rolled his eyes at all of them and went to check on the band. Kelsey introduced him to her brother and his friends, who were wearing various zombie and skeleton rocker costumes. He thought that was pretty cool, actually. Kelsey was a punk princess with electric-pink hair. He thought that was even cooler. She complimented his vampire costume and he grinned sheepishly. Then, she grabbed his arm and said she'd help him check on everyone. He blushed and couldn't think of anything to say for at least five minutes.

"Hey, Mrs. Mills!" Kelsey called out suddenly, and Henry barely recognized his mom wearing a really awesome Cleopatra costume. It suited her and her hair had been perfect for it without needing a wig. He thought she looked really nice.

She smiled at both of them. "Hey, Kelsey. What are you two up to?"

"Just doing some final checks," answered Kelsey. "We've got about thirty minutes, right?"

Regina checked her smartphone. "Yep. Thirty-four minutes." She slipped the phone back in her purse. "So, your costumes are great, by the way. You look very handsome, Henry."

Henry blushed. "Thanks, Mom. You look really pretty."

Regina smiled. "Thank you for saying so."

"Well, I guess we better get moving," said Henry. "I still need to check on the food."

"I'll see you later, then."

"Yep."

They made their way to the food stands. Granny and the other restaurant owners were preparing the dinner food, but there were various snack stands too. One sold cotton candy, funnel cakes, and slushies. Another sold hot dogs and nachos. The ice cream guy had his truck there, and the local candy makers had their own stand. Everything seemed to be in order.

He hadn't seen Belle or Grandpa Gold but he was still hopeful. They were probably still at home, Belle trying to get his stubborn self in a costume like everyone else. The idea was kinda funny, actually. Henry wondered if she'd truly be able to get him to wear one.

Kelsey and he headed back towards the stage area and waited for Snow to make the the announcement. About five minutes passed, and his grandma appeared on stage. She nervously adjusted the microphone and coughed. "Can I have your attention, everyone? We are about to officially start the festivities. First, we're going to let Dr. Whale and Dr. Hopper come up and talk to the kids about Halloween safety. Then, let the fun begin!"

There was a collective cheering and clapping and Henry felt a surge of pride. He had set all this in motion and everyone was really excited. Everyone had really needed a diversion after all the craziness of the last couple years, and they seemed really grateful to have one.

The doctors gave their talk and soon the band was rockin' out to a really cool version of the "Monster Mash." After the song, Henry realized Kelsey had disappeared. He glanced around to look for her and was shocked to suddenly see her on stage! She waved at him and he grinned and waved back.

"Hey, everyone. I'm Kelsey and that's my brother Dylan." She pointed to the lead guitarist. "He got most of the musical genes in the family, so I'm not up here to sing, don't worry! I just wanted to thank my friend Henry for taking our class' idea of a Halloween festival and making it happen. A lot of people pitched in and we're grateful to all of you, but I wanted to give a shout-out to the mastermind behind all of this."

Henry blushed and felt like a deer in headlights when she motioned at him and everyone turned to look his way.

"Get up here, Henry!" Kelsey was waving him on and grinning.

Henry took a deep breath and hopped up on stage. "Let's hear it for Henry, everyone!" There was a lot of clapping, cheering, and the occasional whistle, and Henry found himself smiling and waving nervously.

Suddenly there was a dark purple smoke creeping across the stage. Henry thought it was some kind of special effects until ten skeletons came out of the fog. Everyone gasped and murmured. The skeletons came to a stop in a perfect line in the middle of the stage. Then, slowly, they began to dance. Equally slow, the band started playing another Halloween tune, and the skeletons danced in sync. The music grew faster, and so did the skeletons' dance. The crowd started laughing and the tension eased immediately.

The song ended and suddenly the skeletons were replaced by the Headless Horseman. The black steed reared up and neighed dramatically before the Horseman laughed wickedly and paraded around the stage. They swung back around and bounded towards the crowd, only to disappear into a puff of smoke as the audience screamed. The fog, which had now turned gray, swirled around until two ghostly figures appeared in the midst of it. It was difficult to make out details; but Henry could see a suit and top hat on one figure, and a Victorian dress and feathered hat on the other.

The fog began to creep away, and the figures became more clear. Henry gasped. It was Grandpa Gold and Belle!

"Well, I'm usually more of a behind-the-scenes sort of guy," said a familiar voice, "but my grandson really wanted a bit of magic for Halloween, so...here I am." Rumple took off his hat and bowed, and a flurry of bats came flying out of the hat and flapped over the crowd. "My beautiful wife," he said as he reached for her gloved hand, "had a few...ideas." He tapped the floor with his cane, and suddenly the fog returned, and swirled around he and Belle before soaring up into the sky and erupting into fireworks. Everyone cheered, and Rumple smiled at his grandson.

Henry walked towards his grandpa and for the very first time, Grandpa Gold enveloped his grandson in a heartfelt embrace. Henry smiled at Belle, who was nearly in tears, and mouthed "Thank you."

The band started up again and Kelsey took the microphone and bellowed "Happy Halloween, everybody!" She motioned for Henry to join her and he grabbed Belle's hand to pull her over with them and she in turn dragged his grandpa with her. They all took a dramatic bow for the crowd and everyone cheered.

The fireworks ended and little pumpkins drifted down to float around them. Henry smiled. This truly was a magical Halloween.

FIN