Disclaimer: I don't own Once Upon A Time and never will. No copyright infringement intended.
Henry Mills was graduating from high school, and his entire family was thrilled about the occasion. They were celebrating with dinner at Granny's afterwards, along with his other graduating classmates. There weren't many, however, since several families had fled to other states (or countries) after they had been allowed to leave Storybrooke without fear of losing their memories.
"I can't believe I have a kid old enough to graduate from high school," Emma whined to her boyfriend. She knew that she wasn't that old, but she felt like it sometimes, especially after a long day at the station.
August laughed. "Well, at least we still have fourteen years left until Andrea does, eleven years until Rory's, and eighteen until Julie graduates." As if on cue, the newest member of the Swan-Booth family whimpered a few times before she settled back in sleep. The five week old was surprisingly good – She only cried when she needed something and had already started to sleep through the night.
Emma shrugged. "In a few months, he'll be gone for school and then we'll barely ever see him. I don't know why I'm so sad since this is a good thing." Henry had elected to attend a c college about an hour and a half away from Storybrooke and it was causing her some anxiety. After living in Storybrooke so long – and having experience in a non-magical world – she was a little too worried about her oldest son.
August knew how she was feeling and was trying his best to alleviate her fears, but it wasn't easy. He stopped her from applying make-up and squeezed Emma's hand. "Hey, you're not alone. Remember, you have the chaos in this house, your parents, and all of Storybrooke. You know you'll be busy and won't have time to worry about him in school. Henry will be fine. Do you remember how resourceful he was when he was ten? He'll be fine, and so will you." He smiled at her and then kissed Emma. When they pulled apart, August leaned his forehead on hers.
"I knew there was a reason I love you, Booth." She kissed him again, and then went to see what Henry, Andrea, and Rory were up to since it was too quiet and that was never a good sign. After fixing a toy Rory and Andrea broke while fighting – and yelling at them over it – Emma returned to their bedroom to get ready.
An hour and a half later, the Swan-Booth family was finally ready and they headed over to Snow and Charming's house. Her mother was changing eight week old Finn's diaper while James tried his hardest to keep four year old Elijah and two year olds Lucia and Noah occupied. August rescued his girlfriend's father, but only added to the chaos with his and Emma's kids. Snow and Emma went into the kitchen to drink some coffee and left the men to sort out the various crises that erupted whenever the family was all together.
Less than fifteen minutes later, the entire family was on their way to the high school for the graduating. Henry went off to join his classmates and the rest of them headed towards the stands to watch. The four parents got out toys so none of the kids would complain during the ceremony and bother anybody else. About five minutes after that, they were joined by Regina and Archie.
"Nice to see you all." Regina grabbed her husband's hand and sat down behind Emma and August. Archie waved to them all and settled in to watch his stepson graduate.
"Today seems like a wonderful day. It seems like just yesterday Henry was convinced that we were all under a curse and now he's graduating." Archie still felt guilty that he had listened to Regina and hadn't believed Henry, but at least he had made up for it.
Emma still didn't like Regina, but she tolerated her for Henry's sake. She didn't want her son to feel torn between both of his mothers. "How are you doing, Regina?"
"Fine, thank you. You, Miss Swan?" Regina also couldn't stand Emma, but she was nice to her because of Henry. She had redeemed herself for her son, after all, and she wouldn't do anything to jeopardize their relationship again.
"Great." Luckily, Regina and Emma were interrupted in their awkward small talk when Julie started to cry because she was hungry. August grabbed a bottle out of the diaper bag and was going to feed the baby, but Emma insisted on doing so herself. He shrugged and let her do it, figuring she was just looking for a way to avoid Regina.
The ceremony finally started about fifteen minutes later when the principal began to speak. After he was done talking, it was time for the valedictorian. By the end of the second speech, everyone in the stands was bored and still waiting impatiently for the graduating students to go up and accept their diplomas. Luckily, they didn't have to wait all that long.
It took about ten minutes, but the group breathed a sigh of relief when the "M" names started. "Henry Mills!" called the principal.
Henry beamed and then walked up to the principal. He shook the man's hand and accepted the diploma. Screams erupted from the Charming family section of the stands and he was a little embarrassed, but shook it off as he returned to his seat.
Within half an hour, the graduation was over and people started to file out of the stadium. Henry joined his family after he changed out of his cap and gown, which he then handed to Regina. He loved Emma, but he knew that she would end up losing it, especially in that chaotic house. Everything got lost at one point, and was usually found, but this was one thing he didn't want to lose for good.
"Alright, kid, you ready to head for Granny's?" Emma ruffled her son's hair and he laughed before nodding.
"She's going to spoil you rotten, but that's nothing new." August tripped on something, but James saved him from falling, and they continued on their way.
"Hey, Granny! Did you make chocolate cake?" Henry absolutely loved her chocolate cake, and he had been begging her to make it for his graduation for month.
"Of course the first thing he asks about is the cake." Emma didn't begrudge him, however. She loved cake, too. And Henry was a teenage boy who ate practically everything in her and August's fridge. She wasn't sure how much they spent on food every week, but it was a lot.
Granny smiled. "Of course I made you chocolate cake. Wouldn't even let Red steal any." She had batted her granddaughter's hand away multiple times.
"I am going to steal some, Mills. Don't think I will," Red warned him. She had been kicked out of the kitchen a few times while trying to steal some and was still bitter she hadn't been able to sneak anything out.
"That's fine with me." Henry went over to the big table that had been set up and sit down. His siblings and aunts and uncles joined him while the adults began to talk about random events happening across town.
Henry's graduation was a big milestone his family loved celebrating, and they couldn't wait to see what he did next. This wouldn't be the only momentous occasion in his life, and there would be many more they'd rejoice in together.