your-loveable-tiger asked you: This isn't really a ship story but I was wondering if you could write a father/son bonding story between Henry and Graham where Graham acts as a father figure for Henry right under Regina's nose. I just got full of Henry/Graham father/son bonding feels.

AN: Hope you enjoy tiger!

Graham entered into the diner to find Henry at the counter. He walked slowly over to him, watching him gesture to Ruby who filled his mug with more whip cream, "Rough day?" He asked as he sat down beside the lad and pointed to Henry's mug asking for a cocoa himself.

"You could say that." Henry said as he took a sip then looked at the sheriff.

Graham wiped his face with his hands then scratched his beard and smoothed it down.

"Rough day?" The boy asked after Ruby set the mug in front of the man.

Graham grinned as he took a sip, "You could say that."

After a moment they both took their mugs in their right hands and took long drinks before setting them back down at the same time with sighs coming from their noses.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Henry walked into the sheriff's station. "Henry? What's going on? Is everything alright?" Graham came from his office.

He nodded, "Yeah."

"Well… what's up?"

The boy shrugged and sat on the non-existent deputy's desktop.

"Well, if you ever want to talk, I've got two pretty good ears." He crossed his arms and stared at him, "You know… I like to go on runs in the mornings. It's a good way to release stress. If you ever want to come with me, I usually pass by your house around 7:00…"

~0~0~0~0~0~

It was 6:50 when Henry walked out of his home in sweats and tied his tennis shoes—double knotted just in case. He looked in both directions and saw nothing. Eventually, he saw the sheriff coming from his left and he started down the sidewalk.

"Henry!" Graham smiled, "It's good to see you."

"Yeah."

Graham was impressed that the boy had enough stamina to keep up with him and not stop until he dropped him back at the mansion. Henry didn't bother telling his mother that he had left or that he came home. He heard her alarm just as he made it upstairs and ducked into the bathroom for a shower.

~0~0~0~0~0~

Regina had seen a change in her son both physically and socially. His sense of style had changed and almost his very demeanor. It was almost as if he were a little—"No."

Of course Regina didn't know why she was surprised. She remembered Graham telling her that there was something bothering her son a couple times, but she had chalked it up to Graham being snoopy and a little arrogant that he knew Henry better than her. She didn't think that he'd actually do anything about it, but it turns out, he took her son under his wing.

She was awake in the early hours thinking it all over when she heard the house alarm turn off and the front door open and shut. She immediately got up and ran downstairs. Just as she was about to burst outside and ask what Henry was doing, she saw Henry jog out to the sidewalk where Graham was waiting before they jogged away. She decided to wait to see how long it would take for them to return.

She wasn't surprised that he didn't look at her when he came in. She was sitting in a darkened room. She was just trying to figure it all out. When she heard the shower turn on, she decided to make her son breakfast.

He came down in jeans, a button-up, a tie, a vest, a belt, his nice boots and a leather jacket. His hair was parted on the sides and the ends were curling just a bit. He entered the kitchen and looked around in confusion, "Mom…?"

"I decided to make you breakfast today, Honey." She tried.

"Why?"

"Well, you went for that run with the sheriff, I figured you must be hungry…"

He wasn't surprised that she knew. He only shrugged, "I go for a run every weekday with the sheriff… You've never made breakfast before…"

Regina nodded, "I wasn't aware you were doing this. Henry you need to tell me these things."

"Okay.." He was bored. "I'm gonna go. I'm supposed to meet Graham at the diner." It took no time to walk out the door. He took a couple calming breaths and slumped forward, kicking the ground. He remembered a talk he'd had with the sheriff, and the sheriff telling him to give his mom a chance. He walked back inside; let his book bag fall quietly to the ground before walking into the kitchen finding his mother cleaning the skillet and her body shaking. "I could eat here though. I don't think he'll mind." He said startling her. She turned around and he saw the tears in her eyes. He didn't like it that he did that. He walked over and hugged her, "Thanks for breakfast, mom."

"You're welcome, Henry."

~0~0~0~0~0~

After seeing her son off to school, she stopped by the station. Graham was sitting at his desk, feet propped, paper in his hands.

"I see you're hard at work, sheriff." She said, letting him know she was there.

He grinned, "I guess crime decided to take the day off." He said while taking his feet off the desk and standing up. He saw something in her eyes, "Is everything alright?"

She nodded then shook her head, "He… he needs you." She said, "All this time, you've been helping him. I can't help him and you've become a father to him. I need you to not back down now, okay?"

Graham nodded, "Okay."

"All this time. You told me something was wrong and I ignored you… Something really was wrong." She covered her mouth and let out a small sob. Graham took her in his arms and rubbed her back as she gathered herself. "I should have listened to you. I saw it myself, but I kept thinking things would change… and then today, after I had lost all hope of ever seeing my son again… He came back to me."

"He's trying, Regina. Okay? He's just… lost. We all are and he's just trying to find a way to deal with it."

"Thank you for helping him." She leaned into him a bit more.

"You're welcome." He nodded.

"You know… if you wanted to stop coming through the window… and maybe coming for dinner… He might enjoy that. I know I would…"

Graham smiled, "I would love to stop coming through the window."

Regina smiled at the words, she changed the subject back to her son, "He dresses like you now. Down to the boots he dresses like you… He's a little sheriff."

"Well, I'll need a good deputy eventually. Hopefully he'll be up for the job."