Henry walked home from school slowly, thinking. Violet had hugged him before skipping toward her own home, not even talking, somehow knowing that he needed to be alone. He really liked her. Killian would laugh, probably.
I have actual magic in my life, she'd said. Emma – his mom – called him magic. She said that she wouldn't change a thing in her life, even though she was going to die. She was going to die and it was because of him, because he found her and brought her to Storybrooke.
He sniffled again and rubbed his nose. Seemed like he'd been doing that a lot lately. It was annoying. But it was a burden, knowing that your mother was going to die and you were the Author, chosen by Merlin himself, and you couldn't do anything about it.
Henry walked up the steps to Emma's house, where his mom and Killian would be waiting, and he had a huge desk for his writing and homework, and the fireplace in the living room, and Killian's mac and cheese, and the promise of a cat or a dog, and the eventual new sibling, and all the love he could possibly handle, and the air of doom over the whole beautiful façade.
He opened the door and stepped inside. He could smell the mac and cheese and he couldn't help his grin. He heard giggling and a deep chuckle and braced himself for therapy. But they were sitting upright on the couch, Killian's arm around Emma's shoulders. The TV was on and Henry recognized Disney's Aladdin. The genie was doing one of his long songs, and normally Henry would have paid attention to Robin Williams. But he couldn't keep his eyes off his mom and her love.
They weren't really paying attention to the movie. Emma laughed at something Killian said and patted his head gently. He turned just enough that Henry could see his profile and grinned so widely that Henry could have believed his smile could light up the room. That bright. Really. Killian leaned his head down until their foreheads touched, and Emma wrinkled her nose, still smiling.
They loved each other so, so much. Henry had seen it from the beginning, back when he didn't have his memories back – he saw the way the strange man in the leather and the fake hand looked at his mom. Then he saw the way that she looked back; or rather, when she didn't have to look back, not really, because they could read each other's minds from across the room.
Then in the alternate reality, when Killian had died, Henry had listened to his moms talking. He'd heard Emma whisper about her love for Killian when she hadn't been able to tell him before he died. He watched them in Camelot, how he and Killian were really the only ones who could help the Dark Swan; he found the house in the newspaper and cheered for them, and watched as Emma killed him. Henry watched Emma's face in the Underworld, saw how she was breaking, fracturing because she didn't know if she would ever see Killian again.
How could she not want to change things? Just a few things. To keep Killian alive, to make sure they were together, but make sure Emma didn't die. That's all he wanted to do.
He inhaled shakily and Killian heard him. He turned around and stood, just as Emma saw him. "Henry?" Killian asked. "What is it?"
Then Henry couldn't hold it in anymore. "It's because of me," he said, a few tears escaping. "You two aren't going to get your happy ending, when you both deserve it more than anyone, and you'll be all broken, Killian, and you'll leave, and everything's my fault—"
His words were cut off as Killian stepped up to him and hugged him, so tightly that he was having a bit of difficulty breathing. He hugged him back and pressed his forehead into Killian's chest. His ears were roaring, and the noise was loud enough that he could only barely hear Killian's voice near his ear. He was whispering, "It's okay, I'm not leaving, no matter what happens, it's okay, it's okay, Henry, it's okay."
Finally Henry could hear again. Killian loosed his hold on him just a little, but he didn't pull away. "Breathe, my boy, it's okay, breathe," Killian murmured. He took in a few hiccups of breath. "Come here, lad," he said, and led Henry over to the couch. Henry sat down next to Emma and just breathed for a few moments. It was all still running through his head: Mom dying Mom leaving Killian leaving Mom dying my fault everything's my fault.
Emma wrapped her arm around him and pulled him close, until his head was resting on her shoulder. The three of them sat in silence for a few moments, Henry halfway on top of his mom and Killian clutching his shoulder. Finally Emma spoke.
"I don't know if you heard earlier, Henry, but you are my world. You're my first true love, and you're my main reason for living. You're the reason I'm going to fight this." She took her own shaky breath, and her hand moved to cradle his head. "In the vision, I'm fighting, and I look at you two, and I see your faces, and you're the reason I'm fighting, to protect you. We're going to beat this, Henry."
"And no matter what happens, Henry, I'm never going to leave you," Killian said quietly, in a tone that gave no room for argument. "You and your grandparents and this town have dug yourselves too deeply into me, and even if we can't stop Emma's vision, I will never leave you. Not even hell itself could take me from your side."
Henry shuddered again, his voice still shaky. "But—"
"Nope," Emma and Killian said in unison. "I won't let it happen," Killian said. "I would sooner—"
"No. You are not dying again. Not allowed." Emma dismissed Killian's words with a brief glare. Henry nodded vigorously. Then he sighed.
"It is all my fault, though, really. That all of this has happened."
"It's not your fault, Henry," Killian reassured. "None of this is your fault. Your mother and I would have gotten into—"
"What he means to say, is that it's not your fault, and you can't blame yourself for anything that's happened." Emma's tone was almost begging. Henry let one last shuddering breath escape. His head fell backwards and he groaned melodramatically. Killian chuckled.
Almost in unison, Emma and Killian leaned their heads down on top of Henry's, until he could imagine that their own heads were touching. Emma reached out with the remote and turned the movie back on. Robin William's voice blasted through the living room. All three of them laughed.
And Henry smiled. He settled back between his mom and her true love, and they laughed and joked until the sun set.
Watching them that night – Henry knew he would not let anything separate them. Ever. No matter what happened, no matter what he had to do. To the end of the world or time.
