I've been eager to write this chapter and now it is here. I liked the way it turned, tell me what you guys think. :)


Chapter 29 - The messenger

Henry had taken his mom's advice seriously. He was enjoying the life they were having. He was giving his best at school. Some days his friend Andrea would come over to spend an afternoon, or he would go to her house. Gold would always have dinner with them, and on weekends he would spend the whole day. Emma and Neal were enjoying each other's company in a laid back, relaxed way. They were going way slower then they did the first time. They talked a lot. Henry would sometimes catch them kissing at the kitchen, the dinner that had been prepared forgotten, or in the living room, the tv on but nobody watching. He wouldn't say anything. He would smile and go to his room, happy that they were happy. Charlie was an active, loud infant. She liked to pull everybody's hair, but her favorite was Gold's. He would calmly pull her hand away, murmuring a "Leave that aside, young lady." The little girl liked to keep her parents awake most nights. And that's why on that day the alarm clock went off, but to no use. Emma was already awake, trying to soothe her crying daughter.

"Is Henry up already?" She asked Neal as he entered the room with fresh diapers.

"Why don't you go check and I change her?"

Emma agreed, and passed the still crying baby to him.

They were so much better at this now.

"Come on sleepyhead, you are going to be late for school." She said, dragging Henry by his feet, making him move some inches down the bed.

"I'll be up in a minute." the boy moaned.

"If you are not, I'll send your grandpa in." Emma said, leaving the room.

"Talking about him!" she said as she entered the kitchen. Rumple was already making coffee. It was a Monday and he had slept there on the night before. He had been doing that more since they bought a new bed for Henry, one with an additional trundle bed.

"Morning, Swan. Thought you could use some of this. From what I heard, it was a long night for the three of you."

"Tell me about it!" Emma said, accepting the mug of coffee he was offering.

"Morning, grandpa!" Henry said, going to the living room to organize his backpack and water the plants.

"Good morning, lad. Had a good night of sleep?"

"Yup."

"I am glad to hear someone slept last night."

Emma laughed and she was going for her second mug of coffee when Neal entered the kitchen, the little girl in his arms still red-faced from all the crying.

"Morning, everybody." he said, good-naturally, turning the stereo on.

Soon Charlie's girl was playing, and Neal was dancing around the kitchen with the baby.

"Come on Charlie, it is your song! This should cheer you up, not all of us have songs written especially for us."

Emma exchanged an amused look with Henry as she set the table. The boy sat down as Rumple brought one mug of hot chocolate and two of coffee.

"Grandpa, you forgot something!"

Rumple turned around, looking at the boy blankly. Emma smiled.

"Cinnamon."

Rumple looked at Neal, that also smiled.

"A thing from the Charmings." he clarified to his dad.

Little Charlie was calmer, so Neal pulled the baby seat close to the table. Rumple brought the cinnamon and sat beside Henry. Neal sat by Charlie so he could take a look on her and and Emma sat facing Henry.

They had just began to eat when the doorbell rang. Neal started to stand up, but thinking he had his hands full already, Emma said:

"It is ok, I will get it."

She opened the door and the surprise almost knocked her over.

"Hook?" she whispered, as thought he had just jumped from a history book or a cartoon.

The pirate smiled.

"Hello, love. I see that you remember me."

She was still looking at him in shock, when someone came after her.

"Is everything alright, dear?"

"Crocodile!" Hook yelled as soon as he saw the older man "I thought you were dead!"

Rumple looked at him with anger.

"Well, surprise! I came back to hunt you!"

"What is going on?" More voices were heard and soon Henry and Neal were peaking from behind.

"What is this?" Hook looked from one to the other, not believing it. Not just did Emma remember him, apparently half of the Enchanted Forest was there, even the dead ones!

"What is he doing here?"

"Bae, it looks like he is the one we were waiting for."

"Him? You must be kidding me!"

"Does it mean we are going to see our family? Are we going, Mom? Dad?"

A high pitched sound came from inside the apartment and Hook looked at them, more confused than ever. So much for the quiet, cozy reunion he had been planning for him and Emma.

"Ok, everybody calm down!" Emma asked. "Hook, you should get inside so the neighbors don't overhear us discussing magic curses."

She opened the door and he entered slowly.

"Mom, can I keep eating? I am still hungry."

"Yeah, sure. Gold, can you please get Charlie?"

"I got her, Em. I think she is hungry too."

Hook stood on place as all of them moved around the apartment, in their own organized chaos.

"Hook, why don't you sit? We can talk soon." Emma said as she cleaned up the milk that her daughter had managed to spill on the few seconds she was left alone.

The pirate sat on the cushioned couch, felling out of place.

Rumple was the first one to approach him.

"How is Belle?"

"What am I, a message bird?"

"Actually, you are."

"We have been waiting for you." Emma said, sitting on the couch opposite to Hook while Rumple stood, hovering above the pirate.

"You knew I would come?"

"We knew someone would come." Gold said, not that friendly.

"How is my mom?" Henry asked from the table, his mouth full of bread and eggs. "And my grandparents?"

Emma glanced at Neal, who understood the message and told Henry:

"Closed mouth, buddy."

Hook looked between them, from Neal with a bouncing baby on his lap to Rumple, as real as he always had been.

"They were all fine and in perfect health when I left them. Now can someone tell me what is going on?"

"What do you mean?" Emma asked, eyebrows raised.

"I was supposed to find just you and Henry and help you recover your memory! And you!" he pointed to Rumple "Was supposed to be dead! Just like you!" He pointed at Neal.

"Me?"

"Well, one can hope." Hook said. He finally set for the last person on the room. "And who is the kid?"

"Oh, he didn't hear about the prophecy." Rumple said with a smile.

"What? What prophecy?"

"Guys, let's stop playing with him, will we?" Emma said, rolling her eyes. "There is this prophecy that talks about the fours kids that would open the new Era. That's why Neal came after us, he knew Charlie was one of the kids. But we just discovered the other part – that the four kids would be reunited after a messenger was sent, when Gold told us. Apparently the Dark One was killed, not Rumpelstiltskin, the man."

"The four kids? Is that why every woman I know has suddenly grown found of the idea of little brats?"

"How long has it been since you left the Enchanted Forest?" Emma asked.

"Four months. It took me three just to find you."

"How are Belle and my little sister?" Neal asked.

Hook looked from Rumple to Neal, and finally to Emma. He decided to be totally honest. It was the only thing he could do if he wanted to gain their trust.

"She is fine. The girl was born before the time, and I heard the birth was very long, but they ended up fine."

"I should've been there." Rumple said, finally taking his eyes off of Hook.

"You will, soon." Emma said, touching his arm, and Hook was surprised to see familiarity and intimacy between the two of them. "What about my mother?" Emma asked.

"She is as healthy as always, leading everybody and taking care of a newborn with expertise. The boy was born a little after Christmas, and they named him Leo."

Emma smiled at that, and Neal asked, one last time.

"Aurora?"

Hook dropped his shoulders, conformed with his destiny as a the man of the gossip.

"William was the most well taken care kid of the kingdom, that is, until Leo came along."

Neal stood behind Emma on the couch, passing her the baby and she smiled.

"Leo and William, huh? They must be really happy."

"When are we going to meet them?" Henry asked, finishing his food and washing it down with the hot chocolate.

"Yeah, pirate. Tell us your plan."

Hook looked at Emma. If he focused on her, things would be easier.

"I was only able to come here because I was not originally from the Enchanted Forest. Everyone that was from there can't leave. Unless, it appears, this one." he looked at Neal.

"I wasn't there when the curse was cast." Neal explained.

"Hook, keep going." Emma said as she now rocked the baby.

"So I was sent here to bring you back home, Emma, and Henry."

"How?"

"In my ship, of course."

"Hook." Emma said, looking in his eyes. "Can all of us go?"

He sighed.

"It is possible... it will just cost us more."

"What is the cost?" Rumple asked. Emma knew he was willing to pay any price to be with Belle and his brand new daughter, but he needed to ask, it was an old habit.

"Just magic."

"Magic?" They asked at the same time. Henry was standing up beside Neal, and all of them were looking at Hook.

"I found this magic astrolabe that became possible for my ship to travel between worlds. But I was just able to come cause Regina used all her magic power to move it."

"So, to go back we would need more magical power?" Emma asked. "But there is no magic here."

"If the magical power is within you, the astrolabe will pull it out." Hook explained.

"But with my magic would I be able to do it?" Emma asked, biting her lip.

"Untrained you would probably be able to send only one person." said Gold.

"Yes. You can even send yourself. And you probably could send the little lady too." Hook said, pointing to the little girl.

Emma turned to Neal.

"Do you think you would be able to do it?"

"I don't know, Em. I could try." he offered. Then he looked at his father. "You could help us, papa. Even if you are not the Dark One anymore, you still have the knowledge."

Rumple had a second of doubt, but the image of Belle gave him renewed strength. He nodded.

"What about me?" Henry asked. "How can I help?"

Rumple smiled.

"From what they told me, you have a golden heart, Henry. You are probably the most magical of all of us, and I wouldn't doubt it, having the mothers you have."

"What if we can't do it?" Emma asked, instinctively holding her daughter closer. "Would some of us stay behind?"

"My expertise are ships, not magic." Hook said, tired.

"We should plan and prepare." said Gold, determined. "And set alternative plans in case something goes wrong."

"We are finally doing it!" exclaimed Henry breaking the silence that set after Gold's words. "We are going back to our family!"