Lucy bends her toes up so she shoots well above her last mark. Henry resists an eye roll, the marker falling down by his side.

"Lucy, c'mon."

"Well, this is silly," she complains, pulling a face that makes her look too much like her mother. "Aunt Tiana just got here. She's going to do my hair."

"Your hair can wait."

Lucy pouts, folding her arms over her bright pink sweatshirt. "We're going to be late."

Henry lets out a loud laugh. "Lucy, your quinces isn't for another five hours. I think we have plenty of time."

"That's what you say but GiGi Snow is going to be waiting for us…"

"Grams can wait. You know we could've had this all over with if you just stood still 5 minutes ago when I first asked you."

A firm voice rings out behind them. "Lucia."

Their heads whip to face his mom, who stands by the door of the cottage. Like the rest of the women of the family, she's dressed in the sweats that his grandmother ordered for the occasion. Lucy selected her signature color pink, Grams' are yellow, Emma's red, Ella's are blue, Tiana's green and his mother's purple, of course. Lucy's court got their own set that read "Quinceañera Court" on the back, Lucy's "Mis Quinces" and the family's "Familia", all in glittery lettering. Henry still questions how necessary it is but knows better than to question his grandmother's Etsy addiction.

"Mind your father, young lady," Regina continues, arching one of her perfectly tweezed eyebrows. Henry is in his late 30s and isn't the one in trouble, but even he feels himself straightening his posture under his mother's watchful gaze. "Or I will personally make sure your quinces never happens."

Lucy sinks down, her bare feet touching the wood floor. Her pout melts. "Yes, Abuela." She looks towards her father. "I'm sorry, Dad."

Henry smiles, touching her chin. "All is forgiven, Luce. I know you're just excited. But this is a very important tradition, let's get it over with, hm?"

Lucy nods and leans against the doorframe. He lifts his hand above her head and nods.

"Okay, thank you."

Henry resists a Was that so hard? as she slips away from the frame. He draws a line where his daughter's head just rested and writes 12/15/2020 beside it. A pleading look falls across Lucy's face and Henry chuckles, patting her cheek.

"Go find your aunt." Lucy takes off in the direction of her parents' bedroom and Henry remembers to add, "Tell her to go easy on the makeup!" Lucy sends him a backwards thumbs up as she zooms into the room. He turns to face his mother, who's shaking her head and laughing. "Something funny?"

Regina shrugs. She attempts to compose herself but a few chuckles come out with her response. "I happen to remember when you once rolled your eyes and acted like I was still the Evil Queen for asking to take your height the first day of your senior year."

Henry smiles at the memory of standing in his childhood home. It had seemed like such a chore at the time. All he wanted was to get to school and get the year over with so he could start the next chapter of his life. He had been in such a rush to grow up and leave Storybrooke. After watching everyone else get their happy ending, all he could think of was finding his own. Took him awhile to realize that it wasn't a love interest or wielding a sword that would teach him who he was. He needed a family of his own. Nothing epic but a story of his own nonetheless.

Now he's the one with a teenager who can't wait to see what's out there and he wishes he could make her see what he couldn't, there's no rush.

Henry sighs, but keeps the smile on his face. "I guess it's karma, eh?"

"Every parent goes through it. I'm sure my father wondered why I couldn't just slow down."

"You had your own mother to escape."

"Maybe, but I know I was reckless and stupid. Most teenagers make poor choices."

"Like stealing their grandfather's credit card to buy bus tickets and destroy magic?" Henry asks with a small smirk.

Regina laughs, shaking her head. "I should've grounded you longer for that."

"A bit late now."

"Oh, I'm sure I could convince Ella," she replies with a smirk.

A loud laugh slips from Henry's laugh. He slips an arm around his mother. Curses and magic keep her looking younger than she is, but he can still spot a few wrinkles and a couple strands of gray hair. He's not immune to time either. His back hurts when he wakes in the morning and his vison is starting to go to shit, Ella's been pestering him about seeing the eye doctor. The years have gone by, faster than any of them would've liked it even with all of the magical intervention.

His gaze falls upon the doorframe. The cottage was completed shortly before Lucy's first birthday and they stood her up, marking her height in the entry way to their living room. The dates become jumbled with the time warp and curses. Two years are missing, marking the time they spent apart due to Drizella's curse. He thinks of his mother's own height chart for him and the mark that doesn't truly represent his first day of 7th grade but when they were reunited in Storybrooke for it. Both have lost time with their children. Not nearly as long as his grandparents and Emma, but time they'll never get back nonetheless.

"It's all just gone by so fast," Henry whispers. "Even without curses or whatever, 15 years." He let out a low whistle. "It went by in a blink of an eye."

Regina nods sympathetically. "I know it's not easy, sweetheart."

"How did you do it?" Henry asks, looking down at her. "You always let me make my own choices, even though I know you didn't always agree. Me traveling the realms nearly gave you a heart attack."

She smiles. "It did, but I also trusted that I had raised a strong young man. I knew you were going to be fine out there on your own. Besides, a little magic here and there to make sure you'd never run out of gas or cell battery."

Henry raises an eyebrow. "That was you?"

"August is many things, honey, but he doesn't have magic."

"Wow," he whispers.

Regina rubs his back. "I also knew you'd come back." She gnaws on her lip. "When you were younger and Emma first showed up, I was so scared of losing you." Henry hangs his head, flinching at the memory of how awful he once was to her. "But in time I learned…our relationship was strong. You weren't going to abandon me, even if you had your own life. I'd always be a part of it."

"And you have been," Henry says. "I enjoyed my time traveling, but it didn't feel like I had a home until you came to help Ella and I with the resistance."

A stray tear falls down his mother's face. "I realized then, you were always going to need a mother. It's the same with Lucy. She will always need her parents. No matter where she goes, she'll always come back to you. She may even grow your family a little."

Henry's own eyes grow wet. "Thanks, Mom." He bends down to kiss her cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, my little prince." She pulls him into a tight hug, before letting go and wiping at her face. "Now come on, we have to get your little girl ready for her quinces."