A/N: Here's my eighth entry for OQ Prompt Party, based on a personal prompt for Comfort Food: Henry becomes a big brother

"Roland"

"Alright, class, time to get ready for pickup," Miss Merida said, standing in front of the classroom. Henry perked up, putting away his crayons. While he loved his time in class, he was always excited to go home. Dad usually picked him up and they would sing silly songs until they got home. Then they would walk Queen together. Once they were done with that, Mom would get home and they would all make dinner before spending some time together. Then either Mom or Dad would give him a bath and put him to bed. It was their routine and Henry loved it.

As he packed up his schoolbag, he saw Miss Ashley walk into the room and talk with Miss Merida. Nodding, Miss Merida called Henry's name and motioned for her to come over. His heart pounded in his chest as he wondered why Miss Ashley, who ran the daycare, wanted to speak with him.

"Hello, Henry," she greeted. "I just got off the phone with your father. He wanted us to know that your grandmother will be picking you up today."

"Grandmother?" he asked, growing excited. He loved spending time with her. She also never picked him up so he figured it had to be because of something special. "Did my dad say why?"

Miss Ashley shook her head. "I'm sure your grandmother will tell you when she picks you up."

"Why don't you go pack up, Henry? We'll be heading out shortly," Miss Merida said, smiling as well.

Henry nodded and walked over to his cubby. Pulling out his Captain America backpack, he placed his things in there before putting his coloring box back in his cubby to be used the next day. Along with the rest of his classmates, he put on his coat and then lined up to head out to the dismissal area.

Miss Merida led them into the courtyard as Miss Ashley called their class name. Parents started to step forward and Henry's classmates were dismissed in the order they stood in line. When he got to the front, he saw his grandmother standing there with a big smile. She waved to him and he waved back, looking up at Miss Merida. "That's my grandmother," he said.

"I have my license to prove who I am," Grandmother said, pulling out the tiny card from her wallet. "My son-in-law warned me I might."

"Well, Henry recognized you so we would've accepted that but I appreciate this," Miss Ashley said, checking the license before handing it back. "Thank you, Mrs. Mills."

"Dr. Mills," Henry said, knowing she always told people to call her that. "My grandmother is a doctor for the mind."

Grandmother chuckled. "I am a psychologist."

"Ahh," Miss Ashley said. "Well, my apologies, Dr. Mills. And have a good day with your grandmother, Henry."

"Thank you, Miss Ashley. Bye, Miss Merida," he said, waving at his teacher. She waved back as he took his grandmother's hand and walked to her car.

Grandmother helped him into his booster seat and buckled him up before she got into the driver's seat. She smiled at him. "Are you ready to head home?"

"Yeah!" he cheered. She pulled away from the school and onto the main road as Henry bounced his legs against his booster seat.

After a few moments, he asked: "Grandmother, where's Dad?"

She smiled again. "He and your mother needed to go on a little trip but will be back tonight."

"Trip?" he asked, confused. "Where?"

Grandmother paused before saying: "I'll tell you all about it when we get home, okay?"

"Okay," he said, noticing that they had crossed into Storybrooke. He eagerly watched the streets go by until Grandmother turned onto his block. They were almost home and he soon would get his answers.

She parked in the driveway and helped him out of his booster seat. Henry put his backpack back on as they entered the house. Queen and Rex, his grandmother's dog, came rushing toward them to greet him. He laughed as they ran around him, each wanting to be petted by him.

"Are we going to walk Queen and Rex?" he asked his grandmother.

"Later," she replied, shooing the dogs into the living room. "First, I want to talk to you about where your parents went and why."

She took his hand and led him into the living room as well. Henry climbed onto the couch and Grandmother sat next to him, holding him close. "So you know how your mom and dad have been talking about adopting another child?"

Henry nodded. Mom and Dad had talked to him about finding another baby who needed parents who could give them their best life just like they had done for him. They had told him that they had so much love to give and wanted to grow their family, saying he would then be a big brother. Several of Henry's friends had little brothers or sisters and he wanted to one to play with too so he was excited about getting a brother or sister.

"Well, they got a call earlier that said there was a baby who needed a family," Grandmother continued. "So your parents went to go adopt that baby and bring them home."

"I'm getting a baby brother?" Henry asked, growing excited as he bounced on the couch.

"Or sister," Grandmother said. "Your parents didn't say if the baby was a boy or a girl."

Henry slowed down, pondering the possibility of having a sister. While he enjoyed spending time and playing with Neal, he also liked doing the same with Penny. So he guessed having a sister would not be different than having a brother.

"A sister will be cool too," he said.

Grandmother chuckled. "I know you would prefer a brother right now but if you do have a sister, you'll love her just as much. I just know it. You just need to give her a chance."

"Okay," he said. "I guess it will be like having Penny around all the time."

"That's a good way to look at it," she replied, patting his knee. "Now, why don't we go take these two puppies for their walk?"

Queen and Rex both sat up, their tails wagging. Henry giggled but nodded. Grandmother helped him off the couch and they got the harnesses on both dogs. Once the leashes were attached, she opened the door and they went for their walk. Henry held Queen's leash and Her Majesty walked by his side while Rex did the same by Grandmother's side. They went to the park, where they took a nice long walk while Henry told his grandmother all about his day. It wasn't his usual routine but Henry enjoyed it.

Most of all, though, he couldn't wait to meet his new brother or sister.

Regina sat in the back of Robin's car, her hand on the tiny baby in the car seat next to her. He slept on, oblivious to the world around him. She smiled, her heart filling with love like it had when she first held Henry. Becoming a mother again felt as wonderful as it did the first time.

"We're almost home," Robin said softly. "How's he doing?"

"Good," she replied. "Sound asleep."

He smiled. "I can't believe we're bringing him home."

"This happened so fast," she replied. "I think I got spoiled by the process we had when we adopted Henry."

"Probably," Robin agreed, "but we're no less prepared for our new son."

She chuckled, nodding as she thought of the diapers they had already started to stack up when Cleo had let them know there was a chance they would be able to adopt relatively soon. They wanted to be prepared as she said it was likely they would be matched with a birth mother who was later in her pregnancy than Emma had been. It also was likely to be a closed adoption so they would not know who had given birth or have anything to do with the baby until they received the call he or she had been born.

The call they had gotten that afternoon.

"Here we are," Robin said, turning into their driveway. He parked the car and turned it off. "I'll come around to help you both out."

Regina started to unhook the carrier from the car seat base so that when Robin opened the door, he just had to pick it up. She grabbed her diaper bag and slid out of the car as well, taking her husband's hand. He gave it a squeeze before saying: "Let's introduce him to his new home."

Queen and Rex greeted them at the door as they entered. Regina scratched both behind the ears before setting the bag down. The appeal soon wore off for Rex and he wandered back into the living room but Queen lingered, sniffing the carrier. She no doubt remembered it from when Henry was a baby and her protective instincts were probably already kicking in.

Cora appeared in the doorway to the kitchen, smiling. "I wasn't expecting you two back so soon," she said.

"The paperwork thankfully didn't take as long as we feared," Regina said, hugging her mother. "We had done most of it."

"And the baby didn't need to stay in the hospital?" Cora asked, pulling away and looking at the carrier.

Robin shook his head. "Birth was a couple days ago so the all-clear had already been given. That's why we were contacted."

"Mom? Dad?" Henry peered out of the kitchen. "Is that my baby brother or sister?"

"It is," Regina said, smiling. "Do you want to come meet him?"

Henry hesitated before looking up at his grandmother. "I haven't finished my dinner yet."

All three adults chuckled and Regina approached him, holding out her hand. "It's okay, sweetheart. This is a special occasion so I think we can make an exception."

"Okay," he said, taking her hand. She led him into the living room and had him sit on the couch. Queen jumped up next to him, also clearly eager to meet the new member of their family as well.

Robin placed the carrier down in front of Henry, revealing the tiny baby with a few wisps of black hair who was now part of their family. Wrapping her arm around her older son, Regina said: "Henry, meet your brother, Roland."

"Hi, Roland," he whispered, looking over his brother in awe. He then looked up at her. "He's so tiny."

She chuckled as Robin moved Queen and sat down on Roland's other side, rubbing his back. "You were tiny too," he told their son.

"Did I sleep a lot too?" he asked.

"You did," Regina replied, smiling as she recalled baby Henry and his first few weeks at home. "Babies need a lot sleep because they are still doing a lot of growing."

Henry nodded before looking up at Regina. "Can I hold him?"

She glanced at Roland and decided that it would be okay as long as she and Robin stayed close to help Henry. Leaning forward, she unclicked the straps holding him and lifted Roland out of the carrier. Cradling him, she turned back to Henry. "You need to sit all the way back. Dad is going to put a pillow under your arm to help you as well," she said.

"Okay," he said, sliding back until his back was against the back of the couch. Robin gently placed a pillow under Henry's right arm and then nodded.

Regina placed Roland into his brother's arms. She and Robin guided his arms until he was supporting the baby just right. "There you go," she said.

"He's so warm!" Henry said. "And very wriggly."

"Yes, so trying to hold onto him, okay?" Regina told him, watching her boys to make sure neither got hurt.

Henry nodded, still staring at his brother with love and awe. "I promise to be the best big brother ever, Roland," he said.

Regina's heart swelled and she leaned down, kissing her son's head. "You are already the best big brother ever," she told him.

"Absolutely," Robin agreed. "Roland is lucky to have you as his brother."

Beside her, Regina felt her mother shift closer. Cora wrapped an arm around her and gave her a little hug. "Congratulations, sweetheart. You've gotten the family you've always wanted. I knew you would," she said.

"Thanks, Mother," Regina replied, grateful to have had her parents' support since she got that devastating diagnosis. "I don't know if I could've done this without you."

"You could've," Cora assured her, kissing the side of her head. "You are your father's daughter – strong-willed and determined."

Regina smiled, tears pricking at her eyes as she thought of her father. She leaned closer to her mother. "I'm also your daughter too."

"Yes, you are," Cora agreed. "And we're a stubborn lot, aren't we?"

"We are," Regina replied. "God help the men who love us, right?"

She caught Robin's eye and winked at him. He chuckled before saying: "It is a privilege to love you."

"Aww," she said, leaning closer to kiss him. "It's an honor to love you."

"Ugh," Henry replied, causing them to separate. He stared down at his brother. "Mom and Dad get mushy a lot. You're going to have to get used to it, Roland."

The adults laughed and Regina kissed the top of his head. "See? You're already teaching your brother."

"Oh, I have lots to teach him!" Henry declared. He glanced down at Roland. "I hope you're a good student."

"I'm sure he will be," Robin said, playfully ruffling Henry's hair. "He's going to learn a lot from you."

Roland started to fuss in Henry's arms and a look of panic crossed his hazel eyes. He looked up at Regina with alarm. "What's wrong?"

"He's waking up," she told him. "You're pretty cranky when you wake up too."

"That's true," he agreed.

She gently took Roland from him and rocked him. "He's also probably hungry. It is dinner time, right?"

Robin slid off the couch. "That's right. Let your mother take Roland, Henry, and you and I can go finish your dinner."

"Okay, Dad," Henry said and Regina carefully lifted Roland from his arms. She rocked her youngest as Robin helped their oldest from the couch. Regina stood as well and they made their way into the kitchen.

Thankfully Cora had filled some bottles with formula for them and Regina was able to heat one up for Roland. She sat down at the table with the rest of the family, watching both her sons eat. Cora placed plates of food down in front of her and Robin before sitting next to Regina. "Here, sweetheart, I'll help you," she said.

"Thanks, Mom," Regina replied, relieved. "I appreciate all your help."

"You know I'm always happy to help," Cora replied. "And I got to spend a lovely evening with my grandson. Right, Henry?"

Henry swallowed as he nodded. Smiling, he said: "I had fun cooking dinner with Grandmother!"

"And it's delicious," Robin assured him, half his chicken cutlet already gone. They hadn't had much to eat since leaving for the hospital so Regina was not surprised her husband was so hungry.

She herself was starving.

"Here," Cora said, holding out a fork with a piece of chicken on it. Regina bit it and chewed, feeling relieved to get some food into her.

They all sat together, enjoying their first family meal with Roland John Locksley. While Regina knew many more would come, including ones that would far more memorable, she promised to never forget this one.

Ever.