Ch. 26-Moira and Henry

Sunday was a relatively quiet affair. Gold awoke early to see Mahveen doing Yoga in the garden. Henry was still sleeping, but woke to the scent of pancakes and sausage. After breakfast, Gold took Henry into town to meet Moira at the bed and breakfast. It was to be a private discussion, so Gold excused himself and went to get some coffee in the diner.

"Well Henry," Moira said warmly, "How are you coping with all that has transpired."

"Henry, normally a happy child, looked down at his lap, clearly crestfallen. When he looked up, Moira could see the pain in his eyes that he had been hiding from the world. "Sometimes, I feel pretty good and I try to forget about my mom." Henry paused, collecting his thoughts. "It's just so hard because I know she's not a villain, but she hasn't even tried to contact me. It's like she doesn't care about me anymore"

"I'm sure that isn't true Henry," Moira said, speaking softly. "What happened to your mom is something that no one could have foreseen. Who she is, deep down, will bring her back to you."

"Now she's the Dark One," Henry whispered, the threat of tears still being held at bay. "She's the bad guy now, but she's also my mom and the savior."

"Isn't Regina your mother also?" Moira asked.

Henry nodded, brushing away the few tears that managed to escape.

"When Regina was the Evil Queen, did she love you any less?" Moira asked Henry. "Did you still love her even though she was a villain? Moira was trying to get Henry to see past the labels he had become used to using.

"Of course," Henry replied. "She's my mom and she always tries to do what's best for me."

"Henry," Moira softly said, moving over to sit next to him and take his hand. "I know this may be difficult for you, but Magic is neither good nor evil, light nor dark. How it is used and the intention behind it is what determines how we see it. No matter what happens, Emma is still a good person, just like Regina is and just like Mr. Gold. People aren't just black and white-they come in so many shades of gray."

"So, even though when Regina was the Evil Queen back in the Enchanted Forest, you're saying that she wasn't just evil," Henry asked, seeming to mull this concept in his mind.

"That's precisely what I'm saying," Moira smiled. "People make choices and sometimes they led to good things and sometimes not. For some people, they do bad things for good reasons or good things for the wrong reason."

"Like when Mr. Gold took the curse to save my dad from going to war?" Henry asked a light of understanding dawning behind his eyes.

"Just so, Henry. Just so," Moira stated. "I also wanted to talk to you because I understand that you are the Author now."

"Does that mean you want me to write the curse off of my mom?" Henry wanted to know. "I broke the quill, but I still have it, so maybe Merlin can repair it."

"No child," Moira gently corrected Henry. "It's just that being the Author is a burden that one as young as yourself shouldn't have to bear. I'm glad the lure of the quill is gone, but the burden remains."

"So, what should I do then?" Henry asked.

"I think the best way for you to be the Author is to just observe," Moira explained. "You are still so very young and I don't want people to take advantage of you. But I think watching people without labels of good or bad would help you as you get older."

"I see," Henry replied, looking at the wall, but not really seeing it. "I guess it would be a good idea to look at people in the town a different way. The book of tales always labeled people as heroes or villains, so that's how I saw them."

"Books are like that," Moira stated. "They tend to whitewash the good and blacken the bad because it's easier to understand and easier for us to imagine the world like that." Moira paused, and stroked Henry's head as he placed it on her shoulder. "Sometimes what we need is a fairy tale of reality. Real life is much more complicated, much more difficult than any tale found in a book. So many little things shaped the people in your life that no book could ever contain all the nuances that shaped them."

Henry sat there, thinking as Moira continued to stroke his hair. It was a lot for him to take in and he started to see what Moira was talking about. Like how Gold was a villain, but he died to save Henry's life. A true villain would never have done that. His mom used magic to push Cruella DeVil off of a cliff because she wanted to kill him. His mom killed someone, but she did it to protect him-she killed out of love. Did that make her a villain or a hero? Was there really any difference anymore?

"Moira," Henry said. "Thanks for listening to me and for explaining things to me."

"Of course sweetheart," Moira smiled. "Sometimes it's easier talking to a stranger than family or friends."

"But aren't' you family?" Henry asked.

"Perhaps in a roundabout sort of way, I am," Moira chuckled, smiling at Henry. His youthful innocence reminded her of Gawain when he was a child.

"Then what shall I call you?" Henry asked. "You're like Gold's sort-of-mother-in-law but not."

"Well, how about you just call me what Mahveen calls me-Auntie," Moira said, thinking Henry may be smarter than most people realize. "Now, run along my child. Your grandpapa Gold should be downstairs, impatient to get back to his girlfriend."

With a grin and a quick hug, Henry ran down to the diner and plopped himself down next to Gold at the counter. Red was fast and set his usual hot chocolate with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon in front of him. Pleading and begging, Henry wrangled two cookies as well. He then talked to Gold about school and how he really enjoyed all of his classes except science. Gold then took Henry to the Craft Market where they bought a child's microscope and chemistry set so Henry and Gold could concoct some non-magical mischief before lunch.

That day, Henry learned a few things that would always remain with him. He first learned that people make mistakes all the time and it was unfair to use those against them. Just because previous Authors labeled one person as a hero and another as a villain didn't mean it was true. Henry looked and saw how Killian, who was considered a villain but did pretty nice things, was still treated as one by some of the people in town. While Dr. Hopper, who was a good person didn't always make the right choice but was never criticized for it. He also learned that family isn't about blood ties, but about who cared for him and who he cared for in return. After all, he really cared about Granny and Red, but they weren't related to him.

Lastly, he learned that science was very much like magic, taking great skill and concentration. Plus, having an expert potions master help you with chemistry was great fun…until you created a stink bomb and were chased around the house by your grandpa's girlfriend as she's waving a stick of incense in the air.