Here's the next chapter. I hope you like it! :)
Chapter 8
Hanna was sound asleep in her bed when the screams coming from Henry, who was in the bed on the other side of the room, woke her up. She sat up, a little dazed and confused, looking around the room trying to figure out what was going on. That was definitely Henry screaming, but why? She couldn't see anything and her hand couldn't seem to find the lamp that she knew was on the end table right next to her bed. But before she could even become frustrated about not finding the switch to turn on the lamp, David came rushing into the room turning on the overhead light. Hanna squinted at the sudden brightness. From the panicked look on Henry's face and the fact that he was sitting straight upright in his bed, David knew he had been the one he heard screaming. He went over and sat down next to Henry on his bed and asked him what was wrong.
"It was a nightmare," Henry started to tell him as he breathed in and out heavily trying to catch his breath. Hanna sat up in bed so she could listen. "I was in this room and it was red…there was no doors, no windows and there were these curtains…they were on fire…and I was in this corner and I was looking up…someone else was there…she was staring right at me through the flames," Henry continued, slowly starting to catch his breath and become calm again.
"Okay, okay, everything's alright now. You're okay," David told Henry. "It was just a dream. It wasn't real. Here this will help," he said as he lit the candle on Henry's nightstand. Henry and Hanna both looked at him, confused as to how a candle would help. "It keeps away the nightmares," David told them. Henry seemed to be comforted by that. He gave David a smile and laid back down. "Are you gonna be okay now?"
"Yeah, thanks," Henry said as he slowly began to close his eyes.
"You alright kiddo?" he asked Hanna as he walked over towards her bed.
"Mhmm,…I'm just glad Henry's okay," she said as a yawn escaped her mouth.
"Good, why don't you lie down and get some rest."
Hanna nodded and did what she was told. David pulled the covers up over her and gently brushed his fingers across her cheek. "Goodnight, princess," he whispered just before he walked out the door. Hanna didn't hear him, for she was already fast asleep.
Henry and Hanna reluctantly went to school the next day. They protested, but David got them to agree to go. He said it was best they try to stay on as much of a normal routine as possible and that it was important for them to keep up with their studies. However, it was definitely not the same without their favorite teacher and being there only made them miss Snow even more. They didn't want to give David any trouble, so they did what he asked.
After school, they went to the Sheriff's Station, where David had been working since Emma had been gone, to do their homework. It was just about time to head home for the day when David got an urgent call to come straight to the mines. He and the kids jumped into the police cruiser and made their way across town to see what that urgent call was about. They arrived to discover that the dwarves had finally done it, they found the diamonds. They were going to be able to make the fairy dust. They were one step closer to getting Emma and Snow home. Everyone was thrilled at the discovery and it was decided that they should all go to Granny's to celebrate.
"Henry, what are you drinking?" Hanna asked raising her eyebrows at him, already knowing what the answer was.
"Uhh…hot chocolate," he said with a smile.
Hanna just gave him her "seriously" look. She knew it was coffee in that mug he held tight in his hands.
"I don't want to have that dream again," Henry said as his face fell, that goofy smile gone.
"Henry, it's gonna be okay. Maybe it was just a one time thing. Maybe you won't have another one," Hanna said trying to sound hopeful.
Henry just shrugged his shoulders. He wasn't sure. That dream felt so real. Like he was really there. He just had this feeling that last night wasn't going to be his only time visiting that burning room.
"Trying to stay awake, huh?" David asked as he sat down in the booth next to his grandson putting an arm around his shoulder. Henry's lack of response answered David's question."Henry, I know you're still worried about the nightmares but don't be. If you have another one, I'll be right downstairs. And this one," David said nodding towards Hanna giving her a wink, "will be right in the same room. We're here for ya buddy." David pulled Henry in for a hug and Henry gave his grandfather a small smile. He felt a little better, but he was still afraid of going to sleep tonight.
Hanna woke the next morning and looked at the empty bed across the room. Henry had woken up twice screaming from his nightmares during the night. After the second time, he decided to go sleep downstairs on the couch so he wouldn't keep waking her up. Hanna made her way downstairs, wondering why she didn't smell the aroma of breakfast coming from the kitchen. When she got to the bottom of the stairs and looked around the room, she saw the reason behind the lack of breakfast sitting in the living room chair.
It was Regina. The Evil Queen was sitting right there—right in front of her. The sight of her made Hanna's heart beat a little faster. Hanna never got good vibes from Regina when she was the mayor, and those vibes definitely didn't get any better when Hanna found out who Regina really was. Regina was just sitting there watching over Henry as he slept. Why is she here? Where's David? What should I do? Hanna's thoughts raced, and she felt herself start to panic again. She just shook her head and took a deep breath. Now was not the time to lose it. Pull yourself together. You've talked to her before. It's no big deal. Hanna slowly made her way over to where her guest was waiting. "What are you doing here?" Hanna asked trying to sound brave.
Regina jumped a little, too worried about Henry to notice anyone else in the room. "Oh, I forgot you were here." Regina said as she eyed up the little girl standing in front of her.
"Where's…" Hanna started.
"He got an emergency call," Regina said interrupting Hanna. "He called me. He told me about Henry's nightmares and thought someone should be here in case he had another one."
"I was here," Hanna said under her breath a little grumpily.
"Yes, well, I believe he wanted more of an adult figure around in the event that something serious happened."
Hanna just stood there looking the Queen up and down trying to decide if she was trustworthy or not. She seemed to really love Henry, so Hanna concluded that Regina was telling the truth and probably wasn't going to cause any trouble—for now. "I'm hungry," Hanna said as she shrugged her shoulders and made her way into the kitchen to find herself some breakfast. She decided to just have a bowl of cereal. She didn't know how to make anything else. And unlike Henry, who seemed to be more of a morning person, she often missed out on the morning cooking lessons since she usually slept until the smell of the food woke her. Usually by the time she got down stairs, the cooking was done and a plate of food was waiting for her, so the best she could do for breakfast was pour a bowl of cereal. She opened the cabinet where the cereal was kept and slumped her shoulders in defeat. It was too high up, she was going to have to pull a chair over to reach it. She was just about to turn around when Regina showed up beside her.
"Here," Regina said as she set the box of cereal on the counter so the girl could reach it.
Hanna jumped, realizing how close she was to the Evil Queen.
"You don't have to be frightened of me, you know," Regina said as she handed her a bowl and spoon. "I trust you can get the milk and pour the cereal yourself?" Regina asked with a raise of her eyebrows as she went back to sit with Henry.
Hanna finished her breakfast and made her way over to where Henry seemed to be sleeping peacefully. "Is he okay?"
"Seems to be," Regina started, "he hasn't woken up screaming since I've been here, so that's a good sign."
Hanna just nodded and sat down on the floor, hugging her legs. She rested her chin on her knees and just watched Henry sleep. Hanna felt a little awkward sitting in the room with Regina. She didn't know if she should try to make conversation with her or not. This was the woman who cast the horrible curse that ripped Hanna apart from her family. She shouldn't even want to be sitting in the same room with her, let alone worry about trying to avoid the awkward silence by starting a conversation. Hanna knew she should feel so much anger towards this woman for what she did to her family and everyone else in this town, but for some reason she wasn't as angry as she thought she would be. She knew it was only because of how much Regina meant to Henry. She understood that Regina was his mother too, and she respected their relationship. Hanna also learned that it takes way too much energy to stay mad at people, sometimes it's just easier to forgive and let things go. She took a quick glance in Regina's direction and swiftly looked back down when the woman's eyes looked right over at her. Geez, how did she know I was looking at her. That little interaction made Hanna feel even more uncomfortable. She thought about just going back up to her room until David got home, but she didn't want to leave Henry. She wanted to be there for him, just in case his nightmares woke him up again.
"You know, I had no idea you even existed," Regina started to tell Hanna. "I knew about Emma. I didn't know her name of course, but I knew all about the savior. All about the one who was going to break my curse. She got away before I could…well you know the story."
Hanna just looked at her, a little surprised that she had just initiated a conversation. She knew exactly what Regina would have done had Charming not gotten Emma into the wardrobe. She wondered what her fate would have been had the Evil Queen known about her. "Would you have killed me…if you knew?" Hanna asked as she looked Regina right in the eyes.
Regina raised her eyebrows, a little shocked by the girl's direct question. She thought about what the girl had asked for a moment before answering. "Honestly…I don't know what I would have done." Regina was telling the truth. She had no idea there was a second baby, but she knew the first born child was to be the savior and break her curse, so there would really have been no reason to dispose of the second child. She may have been the Evil Queen, but she didn't think she would have killed an innocent baby if it wasn't completely necessary. She would, however, have made sure the baby was separated from her parents at all costs. There was no way she was going to let Snow White get a happy ending of any kind.
Hanna just nodded her head at Regina's answer. Then she thought of another question for her. "So, you never even noticed me at all around town? I was the only other kid, besides Henry, that was getting any older. I mean Henry and I were best friends, how did you not know something was up?"
Regina rolled her eyes at Hanna's question. She didn't like the fact that this little girl, a crack in her curse, had gone unnoticed for all those years. It infuriated her that Snow White's secret child had grown up right under her nose and she knew nothing about it. She wasn't going to let Hanna know that though. "I didn't bother to pay attention to the other kids in this town," Regina said nonchalantly, "I only concerned myself with Henry. You didn't come to my attention until I was told you were Henry's best friend the night he went to find Miss Swan. I didn't even know he had any friends." As Regina looked at Henry she began to feel a little guilty about not paying more attention to her son, maybe if she had, things would be different. "I really am trying to change, to be better, for him," Regina said as she looked back to Hanna.
"I hope so," Hanna said.
Henry's peaceful sleeping only lasted a few more minutes before he sat straight up, breathing heavily from the nightmare that continued to haunt him. He frantically looked around the room trying to assess the situation in front of him. He was glad to see Hanna, but the fact that his mom was there too really confused him. "Wh-what are you doing here? Where's David?" Henry asked looking at Regina.
"He had an emergency call," Regina started to tell Henry, "he asked me to look after you. He told me you've been having nightmares."
Henry just nodded his head, accepting her explanation. The fact that Hanna seemed to be okay with her presence also made him believe his mother was telling him the truth. He was still pretty shaken up by his latest nightmare, the girls could tell.
"Henry, it's okay. You're awake now," Hanna told him with a smile. She was worried, but she also wanted to make him feel better.
"It's okay…," Regina started to say as she reached out to grab his hand. Henry winced in pain at her touch. She grabbed his hand to take a better look. "Is that a burn?" she asked, already knowing the answer to her question.
Not only was Henry being terrorized by this nightmare, but now it was causing him pain when he was awake too. Regina wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but she was going to find out. She called Mr. Gold and had him come over to assess the situation. He explained that this was the result of having been under a sleeping curse and this was not just a dream, it was very real. Before leaving, he gave Henry a necklace that would control the flames in the room. This would allow Henry to be safe for the next time his mind led him to that burning room.
Hanna tossed and turned in her bed. She couldn't get comfortable. She was too hot when she was under her covers and too cold when she laid on top of them. She lost count of how many times she had actually taken her blankets on and off. She couldn't sleep. She didn't know how long she had been laying there trying to shut her mind off. Her thoughts were a tornado that wouldn't stop swirling around in her head. She was worried about Henry and the burning room. She really hoped the necklace was working and he was controlling the flames as he slept downstairs. She hadn't heard any indication that he was awake, so that was good. She also couldn't stop thinking about her mom and Emma. She missed them so much. She wondered where they were, what they were doing, and if they were even alive. She couldn't even let herself think that they might not be. That couldn't happen. She had to make things right with her mother. They had to be alive…they just had to be. They would find a way back. Their family always found each other…right? Hanna rolled over once again and looked up at the ceiling. She let out a big sigh because she knew even if she could stop worrying about her family, she would still be having a hard time falling asleep. She was sleeping in the room all by herself. Henry was sleeping in the bed downstairs. She was alone, and that was not something she was use to. Of course she was accustomed to wandering around town all by herself during the day, when she wasn't hanging out with Henry. However, at night she always made her way back through the window at the orphanage and slept in a room with several other little girls. Having other people in the room with her as she slept was very comforting. That's all she had ever known, she was used to that. She had never slept in a dark room by herself. It was going to take some time to get adjusted. Tonight, however, was not a good night to get accustomed to new sleeping habits. There was too much going on in her head. She rolled her eyes and threw off her blankets once more. This is so not working, she thought as she got out of bed and ventured downstairs. She figured checking on Henry would ease one of her worries, plus a little midnight snack couldn't hurt.
She tiptoed down the stairs, trying not to wake anyone. She quickly went into the kitchen and grabbed herself two chocolate chip cookies before she went to look in on Henry. She smirked at the sight in front of her. Henry was lying peacefully in the bed, holding on tight to the necklace Mr. Gold had given him. David was sleeping in a chair, a light snore escaping his mouth. Then, there was Regina asleep in the other chair, her head leaning up against the wall. She looked a lot less intimidating when she slept. Regina had refused to leave Henry, so David agreed to let her stay. Hanna inched closer to the side of the bed. She wanted to get a better look at Henry. She wanted to search for any sign of distress on his face that would indicate the necklace wasn't working. She couldn't find any and was relieved that Henry was no longer being tormented by that burning room.
"What are you doing up?" David whispered from behind her.
Hanna jumped and turned around at the sound of his voice. She didn't realize he had woken up. "I can't sleep," she told him as her eyes fell to the floor. A single tear fell down her face. All of her concerns about Henry went away for now, since she was able to actually see that he was okay. The worries she had about her mom and Emma came flooding back though, and David could see them on her face. He knew why she couldn't sleep. He could see it in her eyes. It was the same reason he had barely slept since Emma and Snow were gone.
"Come here," David told his daughter. She walked towards him and he pulled her onto his lap. She laid her head onto his chest and let some more tears out. "I promise you, we are going to find them. I will bring them home to us." Hanna just nodded her head. For some reason she trusted him. She knew he telling the truth. He was going to bring them back, she just wasn't sure how.
They sat there for a few minutes before David broke the silence. "I see you found yourself a little snack while you were down here too," he told her with a grin on his face.
Hanna had forgotten about her midnight treat she swiped from the kitchen. She took a bite out of one of the cookies and held the other one up. "Want one?" she asked with a mouth full of cookie, smiling up at her father.
"Don't mind if I do," he responded, taking the cookie. Hanna continued to sit in the chair with her father, even after they had finished their snacks. She wasn't really sure why she was still snuggling up with him. This was definitely not something she did. She didn't really care though, she figured she was probably just really tired. She could feel herself falling asleep, and she was too comfortable to move. David took note of this out of character behavior. His little girl's walls were down and he was definitely going to enjoy this while it lasted. They didn't come down too often or for very long, but when they did it was wonderful. He pulled the blanket over them, and they both drifted off to sleep.
"They're alive! They're alive!" Henry shouted from the bed.
All of the other sleeping individuals woke with a start at Henry's shouting. Hanna practically fell off of David's lap. It took them a moment, but they all quickly realized what he was saying.
"Who? Who's alive?" the other three asked him simultaneously.
"My mom and Snow!"
"I told you kid! I told you!" David said as he lifted Hanna off of his lap and went over to Henry. Hanna followed wanting to hear exactly how Henry knew they were alive.
He told them he met Aurora in the burning room and she told him they were trying to get home, but someone was getting in their way. Someone they need us to help them stop. Someone only Mr. Gold know how to defeat.
"Who?" they all asked.
"Your mother," Henry said as he looked towards Regina.
