Standard disclaimer applies, I own nothing. This chapter has been part of updating to fill holes and streamline it. All errors are mine.
Chapter Twenty Four
It was an accident.
Here's the thing.
Henry didn't know exactly why it happened. It wasn't like any of the other times they'd been cursed or cursed themselves or had their memories wiped or even that time their stories had been rewritten.
When Rumplestilskin and Isaac wrote Heroes and Villains, they needed the author's pen, the author's power and ink with the savior's darkness. Even then there were rules. They couldn't undo the past. They couldn't erase the existence of the savior instead they had to hide her away and take away her powers.
No one could be brought back to life and more – like a past injury leaving a pirate with one hand – couldn't be changed. Then again, considering it was the world according to Grandpa Rumple, maybe that was something he just didn't wish to change.
Doesn't matter.
What happened now shouldn't have happened at all. At least according to all the magic and mayhem they'd survived so far.
Additionally, Henry worried about the price to be paid for the magic that had brought them across realms and scrambled their brains. He was consumed by the cost for all the happiness. When he found out that Emma remembered and was suffering, he feared she was paying for everyone else's happiness.
And all that was just the stuff Henry didn't know.
The beginning was when they returned from Underbrooke.
Despite his attempt to rid the land of magic, the people from the Land of Untold Stories crash landing in town and the splitting of his mom in two, he had tried to go back to living life. Finding the quiet moments between all the drama. But Hook's return from the dead sparked questions he wanted answered.
Why was Hook brought back?
Was it like when his grandfather was brought back by his father?
Are those who sacrifice their life for their families not quite dead?
Why did his dad then have to die? What if his father hadn't died?
What would it be like for his mom and dad to be together?
Henry loved Killian.
He was a friend and, mackerel for breakfast incident aside, a good step-dad. Killian loved his mom and she loved him. More importantly, they were happy together. So, when he began his project he knew with Killian around, Emma would always end up choosing to be with pirate.
He didn't want to change their lives.
He wanted answers.
Henry didn't use the author's pen or the ink from the Merlin's manor. He didn't write it in one of the blank story books. A cheap spiral notebook and an old bic pen was what he used to get his answers.
After all, who doesn't like fanfiction?
Henry started by whisking Killian and Milah away. Why stay and fight the Dark One? Killian knew about Neverland, had been there with his brother. Why wouldn't he let Milah talk him into running away to live to fight another day?
Once the devilishly handsome pirate was gone, Henry rewrote every adventure they had from breaking the first curse (which didn't even need to be rewritten) to Neverland and the wicked witch. He had figured out the Elsa and Anna and Snow Queen thing as well as the three witches. After all that drama he had sent everyone back to the Enchanted Forest for the next adventure.
He skipped his mom saving his mom from becoming the Dark One by becoming the Dark One.
Somethings he never wished to relive.
Henry had finally figured out how to work Camelot when he and Killian returned from the Nautilus.
That's when he stopped writing.
He would always miss his dad but the rewrite didn't have the answers. His mom and dad worked well together, had fun together but he couldn't write the glow, the spark, the connection between Hook and Emma from the storybook. It was totally embarrassing to live with in real life. He thought it's be easy but he couldn't get it in his story of Emma and his dad.
Then Killian and Henry returned from the Nautilus and he realized he'd never know the answers to his questions. Questions that mattered less now.
Henry had learned what was important. It was the people who made up his family. His moms and grandparents – both sets – Aunt Zelena and the babies and the pirate that made up his whole family. Very real and alive people who loved him and who he loved.
The spiral notebook sat on the corner of his desk and gathered dust.
Six months since the final battle and life had slowed down to a crawl.
It was disappointing for a boy who had grown up surrounded by fairytales and knew the adventures were real. To fight the boredom, he collected a few empty storybooks and started writing in them. Stories happening somewhere else, exciting new one that he wrote all night and read the next day.
But it was frustrating reading about other people's adventures. One night, when he had filled another story book full of other people's stories Henry threw the book across the room and pushed away from the desk angrily. Wishing for adventures of his own.
That's when it happened.
An ink bottle toppled and splashed on that dusty spiral notebook, the pages soaking up every drop of spilled ink. Disgusted with it and himself, he threw it away and went to bed.
The next morning, everyone from Storybrooke woke up in the Enchanted Forest.
Henry had torn his family apart and brought them back together at the same time.
Killian's slumber was disturbed by the sound of sand shifting under feet. He rolled out of the hammock, stretched, and was gaging the position of the sun when the intruder spoke up.
"I hear you're providing passage for us."
He turned to study the tallish, darkish, and blandly handsome man who held a sword at the ready and whose pants he must be wearing.
"You must be Eric," Killian spoke calmly. "Your wife, the mermaid, has secured passage aboard my ship, providing you want to leave paradise."
"Paradise?"
"Alone with the woman you love with no one to interrupt you."
Eric laughed and lowered his sword.
"I suppose we'll be swimming out to the ship? We best get started soon but first, the items in question?"
Ariel peeked out from behind Eric's back. The two shared a look and she came forward placing a silver hook in his hand.
"How did you know that the princess' husband had a hook for a hand?"
"I didn't," she explained. "That's a hook? It and the ring washed up about three months ago and not at the same time but together together."
Killian held out his hand for the ring and Ariel placed it in his palm.
"The ring was on the hook. It was weird." The couple nodded in agreement.
Killian studied the ring and tried to ignore the feelings rising inside at the sight of the hook. He didn't remember meeting a one-handed pirate but it struck him as familiar. His initial troubled response calmed at the feel of the cool metal.
The ring was a plain silver band but the size was smaller than he expected, likely a woman's. Not exactly what he imaged a princess would wear. He held it up and read the inscription out loud.
"My heart belongs to you."
A small smile flashed unconsciously across his face.
Emma leaned her head on Henry's shoulder as they watched the clouds pass. She wanted it all thought out before she said anything.
It was something she'd been working on since her words sent Killian from her and straight into Gideon's trap. Trust isn't her default response but after pushing him away and having it play right into the bad guy's hands, she had had enough.
She also remembered the pain she caused her mother when they were dealing with the Wicked Witch and all Emma wanted, more than anything, was to retreat back into the dream of New York. A wish can hurt others when that wasn't the aim. The whole thing also brought back the wish realm and Emma winced. Singing Princess Emma wasn't how she'd thought her wish not to be the savior would play out.
She needed to thank Regina for not telling anyone about that version of herself.
"That explains a lot," she finally said.
"That's what you're going with?" Henry's voice squeaked out. "I just told you I reimagined our entire lives and it destroyed your happy ending and that's what you say?"
"Do not make me quote my mother."
He shrugged his shoulders jostling her head.
"Happy endings aren't always what you think they will be and it's not the end of my story quite yet and also, I get it. The rewrite, that was a wish or a thought. I mean, you have the power to make it really real and you didn't, you just wanted to think about it."
"Still."
"Accidents happen."
"I haven't tried to fix it you know." He sat up abruptly and looked down at his mom. "I could use the author's pen and ink and write it away like I did Isaac's story."
"No."
"It would be the right thing to do."
"You don't know that." Emma sat up and placed both hands on his shoulder holding him still. "Here's the thing kid. While I get that the whole spilled ink thing is a part of this, I'm absolutely sure there was something else going on as well. Maybe something needed us here and juiced the ink and story up but I don't think it was just you."
"Mom."
"It's not all your fault, and no rewrite. Especially not till we talk to the entire family." She stood slowly. "There are things you haven't considered. It might be your rewrite but how far does it reach in this realm or past this realm and maybe who did it reach? Is the wish really a part of it? And what about the return of the beans? And the stuff that is totally against the rules of magic — hello two-handed Killian. Not to mention your story is missing at least a year of time but my baby brother isn't any younger. There are some pretty big holes."
"I guess but whatever it was, it was built off my story."
"Yeah. We'll end up talking this to death. Because we aren't doing this alone." Emma told him and started piling up pillows. "At the end of the week we have to come clean to your grandparents and your mom and figure out what's next." She held out the pile for him to take and shooed him away.
Emma's mind was still working.
When Henry worked his way back, she had folded the blanket and made a decision.
"You know, in some ways nothing has changed."
He seemed surprised by her words then took the blanket and the basket from her.
"We are where we are and need to live the life we have and we want. I will never rule the kingdom, you might if you wanted. Anyways, I've started building a home here and I'm going to figure out what it means to me and what I want."
They began walking back through the garden.
"It includes these two still growing and you." Henry stopped walking even as Emma kept going. "That life I need to build and someday Killian will be here. I think when we figure all this out with everyone I may have to take a step I don't wish to."
He jogged to catch up, his eyes shimmering with tears.
"The fatherhood thing isn't something I should hide from him and I think I'm going to have to be stronger and tell him."
"But I was enjoying the fruitless search."
Emma rolled her eyes at her son.