The Missing Saviour

Thank you all sooo much for the reviews! It really made my day ^.^

Next chapter will be the finally chapter. It'll be about the real reaction to Emma's disappearance, where he'll enter her dreams as he tries to find her :p

Anyway, I just wanted to say that I love you all. 3

ஜஜ ஜஜ ஜஜ ஜஜ

Henry's grip of Mr Gold's hands never slackened, much to the surprise of the older man, who was looking at this child with new eyes. When faced with the danger that came with being in any contact with The Dark One, Henry's reaction was to ignore it all, to find comfort in the embrace of a wounded man too weak to protect the one he cared about most. As if sensing this, Henry raised his gaze from the book to look up at Mr Gold, the smallest smile splayed across his young face. Without realising it, without even trying too, his own lips formed a smile, a reassuring one to mirror Henry's. Satisfied at this response, Henry turned his attention back to the book, flicking through pages as he sipped his hot chocolate.

Such a strange child: most, if not all run at the sight of me, instead he approaches me with those brown eyes of his, pleading for an answer to a question I cannot give. Would it be so bad to lie to him? To give him the answer he seeks, knowing full well that he deserves to know the truth?

"…maybe if you talk to Regina, she might tell you where Jefferson—Hey, are you even listening to me?"

A sharp pain interrupted Mr Gold's thoughts, who blinked several times to clear his mind. Henry's annoyance, an expression so close to his mother's that it took Gold a few seconds to remember this wasn't Emma staring at him. The pain came again, a sharp almost tear jerking pain that made him clench his teeth. Henry moved his free hand away, now satisfied he had the older man's attention. Mr Gold glanced down at his hands; both had a red marks where the boy had pinched him.

It took a second for Henry to realise that wasn't the smartest thing to do to a man who had endless magic at his disposal. The boy's annoyance faded instantly, taken by fear. His face displayed his panic, an expression too pure for such a boy.

"I-I'm so sorry! I-I-It was just the thought of you not listening…. "

Laughter, a chuckle that had been hiding inside for such a long time, finally surfaced. Mr Gold's face broke into a grin, his body shaking with laughter. Henry's panicked expression, along with the attempted apology, was just perfect. Never had the boy seen such amusement from Mr Gold, who was truly beside himself with laughter.

Henry watched on, a mixture of confusion and fear still ever so present on his face. Never had he seen so much expression for the older man, especially something that had caused him to laugh like that. What on earth was Mr Gold laughing at? Surely the pinches didn't hurt that much…

It felt like forever, when Mr Gold's laughter finally subsided, his expression still joyous.

"Oh my dear boy," Mr Gold finally spoke, messing up Henry's hair, "You are so much like you're mother."

Henry raised an eyebrow.

"Do you mean Emma or Regina?"

Mr Gold chuckled again, wiping the tears from his eyes. He couldn't even recall the last time he had laughed so hard. His smile was contagious; Henry couldn't help the grin that spread across his lips. Looking at him now, Mr Gold could pinpoint several key things in his expression that reminded him of Emma. The thought of her name sent another wave of emotion, hidden beneath his interior. Henry was staring at him, his intensity too strong for a boy.

"You now have my complete undivided attention." Mr Gold smirked, placing his head in his hands and stared at the boy. "Use it wisely."

It took a few tries; each one causing Mr Gold to chuckle, which would always result in Henry laughing. If anyone had walked in on the pair, eyebrows would be raised, and sanity questioned. Neither of them truly cared how odd they looked, a young boy explaining his plan in great detail to a man whose attention he had full control over. It was a bittersweet exchange, a time where the two of them could be seen together without anyone interrupting them, neither one of them wishing ill on the other.

The way in which Henry's hands moved as he pointed to each Fairytale character, the smile he gave as Mr Gold confirmed that each character was said person, and the way in which the young boy started to feel at ease in the company of a man he shared a special bond with, was something that even Rumplestitskin found comfort in. Hidden in the depths of himself, Mr Gold could feel a very raw emotion curl around his blackened heart, suffocating his every breath. Henry continued on, as if nothing was wrong. Something was wrong. Everything was wrong.

"Henry…"

"It's not like you can't—"

"Henry."

The boy snapped his head up, noticing the difference in tone. Staring up at the man, he could detect the smallest lip tremble as Mr Gold tried to keep his emotions in check. Henry opened his mouth to speak, but closed it as Mr Gold raised his hand, a forced smile on his face.

"Can you give me a minute?"

Henry didn't hide his surprise at the request, but nodded quickly in response. Mr Gold got to his feet, a little unsteady at first as tears threatened to blind his vision, before he felt the warmth of a hand on his arm, keeping him steady. Blinking away the tears, Mr Gold turned away from the boy and his confused face, and made his way into the kitchen. His cane was loud in the now quite station; Henry stared after him, trying to work out what he had done wrong.

Mr Gold was grasping at straws, his hands trying to find something to grab, to take away his pain. His fingertips brushed past the kettle, which he turned on, a coffee cup which he placed a bag of tea in, and the handle of the tap. Resting his cane against the counter, Mr Gold took a deep shuttering breath. As tears swelled in his eyes, he gripped the edge of the counter with both hands, trying to deterrent the tears away from his eyes. Nobody was going to see him cry. Never again.

Something was tugging his jacket, a weak voice came next, but it was muffled. Mr Gold blinked slowly and half turned to face the boy who clung to his suit jacket, with a forced smile.

"You don't have to pretend to be strong—"

"Henry—"

"No, I need you to listen to me." Henry's voice was strong, stronger than it had ever been before.

Something stirred deep down in the darkest depths of his black heart; a voice crying out for escape. So badly did it cry, in a voice that tormented his every memory. Henry tugged at his jacket again, pulling him back into the present.

"You've always been there for me; for as long as I can remember—No, listen. If I had a fight with Regina, you were there to comfort me, giving me sweet incentives until you had convinced me that Regina wasn't that bad—"

"Stop it…"

"You don't have to pretend anymore. You're not the monster everyone thinks you are. I know there is good inside you—"

"Henry, stop it."

"No. Not until you understand!"

Tears were forming in Henry's eyes; his hands were shaking as he gripped the jacket. Mr Gold watched on, his own tears threatening to finally fall from his eyes. Here was a boy, who was doing everything in his power to break the century old façade that had kept Rumplestitskin from breaking down at his memories.

"You've been there for me, so why can't I be here for you?"

Mr Gold took another long breath, his body shuddering as the words washed over him. Henry was willing to listen without judgement, to squeeze his hand as tears threatened to fall, to smile up at him with that familiar smile. A single tear escaped, rolling down his cheek. Someone cared. Someone actually cared.

"Being here…" he whispered, his voice weak, "is enough…"

And then Henry did something, he didn't see coming. The small boy suddenly embraced Mr Gold, wrapping his arms around the man as he buried his head against his lower chest. Completely taken off guard, Mr Gold stiffened for a moment, and then relaxed. Instinctively he stroked the boys hair, tears falling from his eyes freely now.

Henry said something, but it was completely muffled against the suit. Mr Gold smiled weakly, staring down at the boy with amazement. His vision blurry, there were enough similarities to mistaken Henry for his son. This sent another wave of sadness through him, causing him to shudder. They were too similar, way too similar.

"We'll find them, Henry."

The boy looked up at Mr Gold, and wiped his tears away.

"We'll get Emma and Snow White back—"

"Your son too."

It took a moment for the words to sink in. Mr Gold didn't hide his shock as he looked down at the boy. How on earth?

"It was Emma. She remembered you mentioned a son."

Mr Gold smiled weakly. Of course, he had mentioned it when he had given Emma the walky talkies. Henry leaned up on his tippy toes and wiped away the tears from the pawnbrokers face. Taken aback, Mr Gold caught the gaze of the boy, who smiled.

"We'll find him, Mr Gold. I promise."