Review Replies:
swanalong: Thanks! I hope so too…I was just a little too impatient to see the story unfold so I made up my own :)
Guest: I'm sorry but leaving that little cliff hanger just fit so well with the flow of this story that I had to!
Justices: Thanks! Here you go!
Angial: Here you go! Sorry it took so long!
Summary: Over four years after the death of the Snow Queen, Storybrooke is at peace. That is until a girl shows up one night with a mysterious past that not even she can remember. As she grows closer to our heroes, unrest grows in the magical town. This time, it's Henry's turn to face adventure and romance in the fight of good vs evil.
Background: Story starts off at Thanksgiving dinner at the Mills/Locksley house (by my timeline, November 23rd, 2017). Killian and Emma have been married for 3 years now and have their daughter, Elizabeth. Regina and Robin have also been married for 3 years now and have their daughter, Danielle. Rumplestiltskin and Belle took awhile to reunite after his return to Storybrooke, but eventually they arrived at a good place and started a family. They now have been married for over 4 years and have their daughter, Juliette.
Pairings: Henry/OC, Killian/Emma, Robin/Regina, David/Snow, Whale/Ruby
A/N: Sorry it took so long! I've been busy and, for some reason, this chapter was much more difficult to write then one would expect. Enjoy!
Chapter Rating: T
Chapter Date: September 2019 (Ages: Henry – 18, Addie - almost 18, Roland – 11, Neal – 6, Juliette – 4.5, Elizabeth – 4.5, Dani – almost 2, Liam - 10 months, Peter - 9 months)
CHAPTER 14: EMPTY
Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.
Henry counted the seconds on the many clocks he has collected over the years and placed sporadically around his bedroom at the Mills-Locksley house. They were annoyingly monotonous and yet soothing at the same time. Listening to the ticks and counting the seconds had become a pastime over the last five months since the attack on the hospital.
Since the day he lost her.
Shaking his head, he tried not to think about that. It seemed all he did any more was spend time trapped in his own mind, reliving the painful memories of that day and analyzing what he could have done differently.
Wondering if he could have saved her.
He thought constantly about Addie. He thought about her face and her sparkling brown eyes that lit up when she got excited; about her radiant smile and how, when it formed, the right side of her lips always tilted up first; about how her eyes squinted when she laughed; about her playfulness and how she was quite found of hitting him, though he could never complain because it was just an excuse to have her touch him; about her sense of adventure and her impatience and her intelligence and her barely noticeable accent that he loved to make fun of and her admirable loyalty and dedication to her patients and her ability to become bored really easily.
Mostly though, he just thought about how much he loved her.
Sighing, Henry's thoughts had only just drifted to her parting words – her finally admitting to loving him in return – when he felt a violent shove and his face hitting the floor.
"What the hell was that for?" He exclaimed, turning to face his attackers.
Both of his stepfathers stood on the other side of his bed, expressions clearly unamused. Robin was closest to him – obviously the one who shoved him off his bed – while Killian hovered stoically behind him with his hand fiddling aimlessly with his hook.
"To get your attention." Robin answered unapologetically.
Killian nodded beside him, "We've been talking to you for the past ten minutes, lad. It was like you didn't even know we were here."
In actuality, he didn't.
Henry was so preoccupied with his thoughts, he did not even notice his bedroom door open nor hear his stepdads approach the bed. He was too busy thinking, listening to his clocks and staring at the ordinary whitewash of his ceiling that seemed to numb his mind.
"I'm sorry." Henry sighed, standing up off the floor and returning to his position on his bed. "What were you saying?"
"We were saying," Robin exchanged a careful glance with Killian as he explained, "that Addie would not want you to give up on her."
"I haven't!" roared Henry suddenly angry, sitting up once again.
"Then why the bloody hell have you been acting like it!" Killian shouted back exasperatingly, "You have been miserable for months. You helped us with our search at first but then you just gave up, not only on her, but on yourself and your life. You haven't spoken to your friends nor ridden your horse nor done anything else you enjoy since before she was taken. I know you're hurting but you need to live, Henry."
"This coming from the pirate who spent three hundred years plotting revenge." Henry shot back angrily, ignoring the hurtful truth.
"Henry –," Robin reprimanded.
Killian cut him off, "No, mate, he's right. I did spend three hundred years plotting revenge, and where had it gotten me? It did not change the fact that Milah was dead. My crocodile is still alive. I wasn't happy, Henry. I wasn't living. It was not until I met your mother that I remembered what it felt like to truly live again."
"You have your entire family, Henry." Robin added, "And we will find Addie. When we do, don't you want to say you have done everything you can to find her? Don't you want to have lived in her absence? She would want you to."
Henry didn't answer. He knew they were both right, but he has felt so lost – so empty – since the night Addie was taken. It was like a piece of him was taken with her. After that night, he stayed in bed for days until his family convinced him to help. The only time he didn't feel hopeless was when he was searching for an answer, but after his only lead at finding a portal seemed like it wouldn't be getting them anywhere anytime soon, Henry shut himself off from the world. Even with a family whose foundation was practically built on hope, Henry couldn't help but find himself losing his.
For having the Heart of the Truest Believer, he was seriously beginning to doubt he would ever find her.
Once again forgetting his step-fathers' presence, Henry's mind began to wander back to his one victory, his one moment of light, in the darkness that had become his life since his Addie was taken from him.
"I found a way to get to her!" Henry exclaimed breathlessly as he entered the sheriff's station where he knew the rescue party would be congregated.
It has been two weeks since she was taken and Henry's family and friends have been working tirelessly to find a way to make a portal. This reminded him of the time all those years ago, just after the first curse had been broken, when his mother and grandmother had fallen through Jefferson's hat into the Enchanted Forest. He was just as lost then.
Except, this time, it was his true love he was fighting for.
Several heads whipped around to look at him all at once from the material they were poring over in search of a portal. Both of his mothers, stepfathers, grandfathers, his grandmother, and Belle were all huddled over a stack of books.
"How?" Emma asked in disbelief, walking over and placing a hand on his shoulder.
"I found a portal." He explained, glancing around the room, "Or, at least, a way to make one."
"What do you mean?" Regina asked, exchanging a look with Rumple, "There's no way to simply create a portal to another realm without any beans, and, according to Anton, there's none left in this world."
Henry shook his head excitedly, "There's another way. Have you heard of the Realm of Screams?"
Everyone shook their heads. That is, everyone except for Rumplestiltskin. He had a look of understanding and distrust on his face.
"You have found a Therianthrope, I presume?" The Dark One asked him.
"Two, actually." Henry smiled proudly.
"Hold on," Emma interrupted, "What the hell is a Therianthrope?"
"A shape-shifter." Explained Henry before his grandfather could answer, "They're native to the Realm of Screams. Most of the time, they stay in human form, but in their world, some jobs consist of shape-shifting into creatures that can only be described as monsters and traveling through portals to scare people. They then collect the people's screams and bring it back to their world where it can be used as energy. It's kind of like their own version of green energy."
Henry heard David snort from his side but his eyes were on his mother's face. She looked up at him with a mixture of disbelief and exasperation.
"Okay, this sounds a whole lot like –,"
"Monster's Inc.?" Henry finished for her, unable to control his excitement.
"Yes." Emma sighed, "Please tell me you haven't met Mike and Sully."
Henry just smiled.
Shaking her head, Emma walked over to her husband and grabbed his flask out of his jacket pocket where she knew it would be, all the while mumbling something about "being done with these damn fairytales."
"Regardless of who they are," Rumple added, "I would not trust them."
"Why not?" Snow asked warily.
"You heard what Henry said. Their job is to scare people, in any way possible. That is not someone I would trust. For all we know, they will send us somewhere out of a nightmare."
"Did you have a bad experience with monsters in your nightmares or something, Gold?" Emma teased as the man glared at her.
"For once, I'm with the crocodile on this." Killian added, "It could prove to be a bigger problem than an answer."
"We have to try." Henry insisted. "This is Addie we're talking about. She was sent to Abaddon himself directly in his Kingdom of Darkness. I'm willing to take this risk."
"He's right." Belle agreed, while several others nodded at her words. "Whatever it takes, we must try."
"So what must we do?" Robin asked Henry.
"Wait." He replied firmly. "We just have to wait. Mike was a little hesitant at first because he is comfortable with his life here and didn't want to go back to making portals – or 'Doors' as he called them – but Sully is on our side. The only thing is, Sully told me that it could take a while since magic is so different here. He told me he was willing to help but we just have to be patient while he works – and convinces Mike to help – on making a Door."
"Why can't Sully make one by himself?" Snow wondered.
"Because, in their world, Sully's job title was only 'Scream Harvester.' Mike was the 'Door Manager' so he understands how they work a little better."
"How do you even make a Door?" asked Regina, as Snow nodded in understanding.
"I have no idea." Henry shook his head, "Sully said he couldn't give away his realm's secrets. All he could tell me was that it is delicate because each Door is specified to a particular realm."
"So they have to make a Door that leads specifically to the Kingdom of Darkness." David concluded.
Henry nodded.
Emma sighed. "Then I guess all we can do is wait."
Henry went back to Mike and Sully's hardware store every day for the next two months to check on their progress. Sully had convinced Mike to help, but it was still slow work. It has been three months since he has last checked on them – he knew his grandfather regularly checked since he stopped – and five months since he has last seen Addie.
He was seriously getting tired of waiting.
Feeling another shove, Henry began to topple off the bed once again but he managed to stop himself this time. With a glare in the direction of his stepfathers, he realized it was Killian who shoved him this time.
"What?" He asked the men exasperatingly, standing up to face them.
"Your mind wandered again, lad." Killian sighed, "I know you miss her; we all do. However, that is no excuse for lying around on your bed or disappearing to the clock tower for hours at a time. Come join the search again. While we wait for the Therianthropes to come through, help us search for an alternative, just in case."
Henry sighed, knowing they were right.
…OUAT…
"We just don't know what to do anymore."
Emma nodded in agreement by Regina's side while her co-mother pleaded with Dr. Hopper to understand their situation. "He doesn't eat; he doesn't sleep; he barely even talks to any of us. Robin and Killian are trying to talk him into actually getting out of bed today, but I doubt it will work."
Regina had approached her a few days ago about having another chat with Archie, but Emma was hesitant. A few weeks after Addie disappeared, both of Henry's mothers decided it was time for their son to begin seeing his childhood psychiatrist again; however, after the disastrous first session in which he accused Dr. Hopper of "trying to poison his memories of the girl he loves" and wrecked the office in a grief-stricken rampage, he hasn't been back.
Though, Emma and Regina had both apologized on behalf of their son, it has taken them several months to show their faces at his office again.
Archie nodded, understandingly. "That's not really surprising. Henry is depressed. The girl he loves was taken into such an awful place and there is little to no chance of ever finding her again, at least alive. What I don't understand is what you want me to do. Do you wish for Henry to begin sessions again?"
Emma shook her head, "No. All of us saw how that ended last time we tried. We were just hoping you could give us a little insight. How do we help him?"
"You show him that you are there for him." The shrink concluded, "You reassure him that you will find Addie, whether you believe it or not. You show him that he is loved and then give his heart time to heal."
"That's what we're trying to do!" Shouted Regina frustratingly. Emma placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"Of that I have no doubt." Archie reassured her, "But he's in pain. Sometimes when you are in so much pain, it blinds you from hearing the truth. You of all people should understand that, Regina."
Feeling the woman tense under her hand and wanting to prevent an attack on the local therapist, Emma spoke up, "Is there anything else we can try?"
Smiling thankfully at the sheriff, Archie replied, "I'd suggest keeping him occupied and involved. Before he shut himself away, Henry worked part time for Mr. Gold, correct? Insist he start going to work again. If you don't think that would work, perhaps let him help out at the station. Keep him involved in everything you do so he feels like he's doing something to help her."
Emma nodded at his words, exchanging a look with Regina, "We've tried offering. Maybe it's time to just start insisting."
"Exactly." Smiled the doctor.
Before she could say anything else, Emma's phone buzzed, signaling a text message.
"Is everything okay?" Regina asked with a glance over Emma's shoulder at the screen.
"Yeah," the sheriff confirmed, "I'm just needed back at the station. The family of the missing midwife wants to talk to me again."
"Missing midwife?" Archie asked curiously as Regina nodded in understanding.
"Last week a man reported his older mother had gone missing." Emma explained, "He had gone to check up on her like he does every few days and she wasn't home or anywhere else. She works as a labor and delivery nurse here, but back in the Enchanted Forest, she was a midwife."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Dr. Hopper frowned. "That's terrible news. I hope you find her."
"So do I," Emma responded as she stepped toward the door. "Thank you for talking to us, Archie."
"Any time." he insisted earnestly, "Keep me updated on Henry."
"Will do."
Regina nodded her head, giving a small wave goodbye, and followed Emma out the door.
…OUAT…
Killian sighed impatiently as he watched his stepson slowly make his way around his room in search of some clothes. Hearing Robin's stifled snort by his side at his expression, Killian promptly elbowed him in the side.
"Oi, watch it, mate!"
"You can't tell me you are not equally as frustrated right now." The pirate asked, ignoring the fake hurt look on his friend's face.
"I'm not denying my frustration at his intentional stalling." Robin explained, "I'm only appreciating the small favors. He is out of bed."
With another glance at Henry, he replied, "There is that."
"You know I can hear you." The teenager insisted angrily, pulling on his jeans as slow as possible, before making his way in search of a shirt.
"You were meant to." Killian shot back.
Henry was about to retort when the trio heard heavy footsteps rushing up the stairs before the door to the bedroom opened with a slam.
The three men jumped to attention, automatically reaching for their weapons, and whipped around to face a panting David in the door way.
"Bloody hell, mate," Killian exclaimed, "Where's the fire?"
"They did it." The prince managed to gasp out, "Mike and Sully did it."
Killian felt his mind go numb. He was sure his friend had just implied that the two Therianthropes had successfully made a portal to the Kingdom of Darkness. As hopeful as he was, Killian didn't truly expect an answer for a while yet.
"They did it." It was the raw incredulity in Henry's voice that made Killian pause and look at the young man. He had tears in his eyes and he had dropped the shirt that he was about to pull over his head. Jaw slack and eyes wide, Henry looked like a man dying of thirst finally being handed a glass of water. "How – When –?"
"I went over for my weekly check and Mike said he was just about to call. They finished it. They made a door to get us to Addie. Everyone's getting their weapons together and heading over there right now. We are going to get her back."
"Then what the hell are we waiting for?" Henry exclaimed, snapping out of his stupor. Quickly picking up his fallen shirt and pulling it over his head, Henry scrambled to find his sword and attach it and its sheath to his belt.
With only a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure his stepfathers and grandfather were following him, Henry sprinted out of his room and in the direction of the portal that will take him to his love.
…OUAT…
NEXT on BEAUTIFULLY BROKEN: Henry and his family enter the Door to the Kingdom of Darkness itself in order to rescue Addie and bring her home, but new revelations wreck their plan into devastating consequences.
A/N: Just as with The Lion King, I know Monsters Inc. is not even remotely a fairytale, but I thought the whole door to another world thing would be an interesting new twist on realm-hopping. Of course, I just had to change this one too. Therianthropes are shape-shifting creatures most notably used in Greek mythology.
Thoughts, comments, suggestions…Let me know what you think!