A/N: Italics read as a flashback in this chapter. This chaper was so long, I had to split it into two pieces :) Hope y'all dont mind. Please leave any encouragement or constructive criticism in the form of a review, I would be eternally grateful. That said, enjoy!


Chapter 19

Joy to the World Part I

"Jingle Bell Rock" played on the radio as Graham and Emma made their rounds. They made a happy picture on that frosty afternoon since Henry was off on holiday from school, and Regina was at work.

Henry sat between the two adults in the front seat of the cruiser with the biggest grin on his face. He always got a sense of victory at outsmarting his mother and getting the chance to see Emma. It made him feeling daring to include Graham in their escapade. It was their own little secret.

The trio rode out to his castle, but little did they know someone was watching them. A pair of blue eyes scrutinized the trio as they sat on the playground equipment with Henry, and he went digging under one of the installments.

He came back with a familiar item, and August stored the information away for a rainy day. Henry was carrying the book, and he was knee-deep in a new theory about the book. He claimed there was a man sulking around his school grounds who fit the description of the alleged Mad Hatter.

The two grown ups listened with non-judgmental faces and tried to look enthused. They were both very familiar with placating the kid, and Henry was smart enough to know when they were patronizing him.

He was surly when Graham and Emma dropped him off at his house. There had been a big rumbling in Storybrooke, the ground shook like an earth quake. The law officer's phones started ringing off the wall suddenly. The law was needed at whatever incident had taken place.

As a precaution, the adults rushed to drop Henry off at home despite his insistence that he should accompany them. "Come on now, Henry, it's for your own safety," Graham said, pleading with his young friend. Henry still managed to look crushed and despaired not to be included and let them leave in bad humor.

Not one to be deterred, as soon as he lost sight of their cruiser around the corner, Henry set off in the opposite direction. He would discover the source of all the hubbub for himself. He could be found walking down the roadside, somberly kicking twigs and rocks that crossed his path.

That was where he was, only a few blocks from his school bus's pick up, when he heard the sound of the stranger's motorcycle coming up from behind him.

"Hey kid," the stranger called out to him. Henry automatically corrected himself, August. This was a friend of Emma's. He could trust the stranger, he was sure.

"Yeah?" the young boy asked, turning around to face the sound of the rumbling engine.

"Where you headin', kid?" August asked.

"I was going to see whatever happened," Henry explained impatiently. He was practically itching to continue on with his investigation. The corner of August's lip turned up wryly, and he studied the young boy astutely. "Do you need a ride?"

"Really?!" the boy asked, excitement vibrating his very small being. His face lit up and a smile a mile wide stretched across his face. "Yeah, why not? It beats walking," August said, shrugging.

He reached into his side bag and removed a second helmet, obviously meant for an adult but it was better than nothing. He offered it to the excited little boy when he approached, and offered to stow his backpack in his side bag, "so it wouldn't fall off," he said.

Henry agreed and with a guilty sense of elation climbed onto the back of the motorcycle with August. It was exhilarating, feeling the wind whipping past them and the roar of the engine as August revved it to impress him. It worked beautifully, and Henry howled out how awesome it was!

Both his mothers would have him skinned alive for sure if they caught him. It made the ride all the more forbidden and fun. Henry wasn't happy when it was over so soon because they discovered a crowd gathered on the far edge of town. He hastily had to climb down from the bike, not knowing if his mother or anyone who could bust him would be in the crowd.

Apparently, there'd been some kind of cave-in. Emma and Graham were busy tying off police lines when Henry spotted his mother. It seemed it was just in time, because she had a contemplative look on her face as she looked down at something in her hand. No one but Henry saw it when she slipped the something into her pocket quickly.

Instantly, Henry's sense of purpose came slamming back into him. He'd gotten so caught up in the changes in his life, he'd neglected Operation Cobra. He realized that everyday he failed to help Emma break the curse, everyone was doomed not to have their happy endings. All because of her, the Evil Queen. She was acting weird. He forgot his mother's new found happiness, and his suspicions rose when she looked guiltily about the quarry to see if anyone had noticed her.

She noticed Henry.

"Henry?" she called out worriedly as she approached him in the crowd. "You shouldn't be here," she said, curling a protective arm around his shoulders. Henry tried to elude her touch, and stepped away from her. The bustle of the crowd made her forget him momentarily, and she looked about. Too many people. It was unsafe. She stepped up, and raised her voice to be heard.

"People of Storybrooke, don't be alarmed. We've always known this area had a honeycomb of mining tunnels running underneath it, but fear not. I'm going to undertake a project to rehabilitate the area and make it fit for city use," the mayor proclaimed.

"We will bulldoze it, collapse it, and pave it," she ordered. "Pave it?" Henry asked loudly, coming forward, instantly on the defensive. "What if there's something down there?" he asked.

"What's down there, mom?" he asked. "Nothing," she said firmly. She gripped him by his arm to escort him away from the danger. "You shouldn't be here," she said, a frown marring her pretty face.

"In fact, everyone, please! Step back," the mayor ordered, and the crowd started to disperse. Nothing so exciting about a sink hole, after all. Or so they thought.

********ONCE UPON A TIME*******

Graham was busy investigating the mouth of the cave. That left Emma in charge of crowd control. Henry rushed up to her since he didn't have long, his mother had told him to get out of there and go back home. He tugged on Emma's sleeve and she turned around, surprised.

"Henry!? What are you doing here?" She frowned and looked down at her son worriedly. "I thought I told you it wasn't safe, Henry," she chided him. "I know, I know," Henry rolled his eyes and leaned in close to Emma to whisper hurriedly to her. "You can't let mom pave over this cave, she might be hiding something!"

"Henry, what could she be hiding? You need to step back," Emma warned. Her voice was stern and she was gripping him by the shoulder suddenly. Henry was tired of being manhandled. He shook her off impatiently. "No! Listen! If we don't find out what she's trying to hide, it might be important!"

"Nothing down there is worth your life. I'll tell you what's down there, and none of it is safe," Emma said. She leaned down so that she was face to face with her excited little son. "You will not be going down there, Henry, promise me," she made him promise. Henry frowned and she could recognize a silent challenge on his face when she saw it.

"I mean it, Henry, it's not safe," she scolded him. "Promise me," she repeated.

"I promise," Henry sullenly said, feeling defeated. He just knew something was down there.

********ONCE UPON A TIME*******

Later that night

After checking on the slumbering pair in his mother's bed, Henry snuck out of the manor. He had a back pack filled with snacks and a flash light, and he silently slipped out the front door of the mansion and stepped into the night.

He started heading towards the end of the block where his school bus stop was, and the orange light of the street light illuminated August, his new friend, sitting on his motorcycle.

Once both his mothers made him leave the scene, Henry grew more determined than ever to see what the Evil Queen was so eager to hide. He knew there was something important buried deep down there.

When he told August about his suspicions, the writer surprised him by agreeing whole heartedly. He had been waiting, hanging back on his motorcycle to see what Henry found out. They struck a deal to journey down into the mines after everyone left, to go and see what they could find.

August gave him a ride over to Granny's. The writer was not prepared for how like a little adult Henry behaved. He was so serious, he barely acted his age. Already he was wise beyond his years. He seemed like a smart kid who was handling everything pretty well, considering.

They selected a booth at the back of the establishment. "Why are you so willing to help me?" Henry asked his mother's friend. He had ordered a hot chocolate while they waited for their food, and blew on it to cool it off.

"I like to help people, what can I say?" August said, feigning innocence. Henry narrowed his eyes at the adult. "There's more to it than that, isn't there? Why would you agree to go down there with me so willingly?" he asked suspiciously, hand creeping towards his back pack on the table beside them.

August darted a look at the back pack, which was partially unzipped. He could see the book of stories nestled just inside the opened zipper. "That story book of yours is something, huh?"

"Yeah, they're good stories," the boy agreed, confused in the sudden change in topic. "How do you know about me and my book?" the little boy asked.

August looked calculatingly at the small child, and his mouth puckered in concentration. He decided to tell the truth. Anything less, and this kid would be onto him and out of here. He was, after all, Emma's son.

"Who do you think left the book for you to find?" August asked.

Henry's eyes grew wide with shock. "What? What do you know about my book?"

"I know it's a book of stories," he writer replied. Henry was quick to sass him. "Aren't all books?"

August eyed the kid with obvious annoyance for interrupting him. "Stories that actually happened," he continued, and that knocked the sassy look right off of Henry's face.

"You mean you think my book is real?" he asked in disbelief.

It was usually so hard to get any adult on board, Graham and Emma included. They might humor him, but he could tell they didn't really believe him. The only one that ever acted invested in what he was saying was Dr. Hopper, his first ally in Operation Cobra.

"As real as you or me," the writer said. Henry was excited at the prospect of another helper. "How do you know?" he asked.

August chose not to answer right away as Ruby the waitress drew nearer with their order. She arched a curious eyebrow at August, wondering how he had ended up with the mayor's kid, but thought better of saying anything.

She delivered their order and sauntered away, making sure to put an extra sway in her hips for August's benefit. He eyed her lustfully as she walked away, and Henry was oblivious to the look on the older man's face. He gnawed on a hot french fry as August leaned in close to him conspiratorially after she'd passed. "That girl that just brought us our order?" August started.

"Ruby," Henry said, naming the hot waitress. "Well, you might know her as Ruby, but her real name is Red," August said to the little boy. Henry's face lit up with recognition.

"Red Riding Hood! I know!" he said rather excitedly, glad someone else could finally see it. Red Riding Hood and her Granny had been some of his first discoveries. August brought a finger up to his lips hastily, indicating Henry to keep quiet. "Ssh, calm down. You don't want everyone to know, do you?" he asked.

Henry shook his head earnestly and made a gesture as if to zip his lip and throw away the key. "That's good, discretion is something you'll need for what we have to do," August said. Henry grew more and more excited at the idea of an accomplice. Finally, someone to help him try and convince Emma!

"Are you here to help me with Emma?" Henry dared to ask. "Let's just say I'm a believer, and I'm here to help her see the light," August replied, and Henry's excitement grew as they made their plan for the night.

********ONCE UPON A TIME*******

August explained that someone like Emma needed proof. That's why the pair were on the hair-brained mission to find hard evidence to show Emma down in the mines. They needed to convince her about her destiny before she could truly break the curse, and this seemed one way of doing it.

Henry was convinced the key lay below in the mines that his mother was so eager to cover up. It was a foolish quest from the start, and it felt even more foolish when August heard the tell tale sign of the opening to the cave behind them come crashing down.

Emma was going to kill him for practically kidnapping her son. Not only had he stolen the child away from his home in the middle of the night, now he had trapped her only son down in the mines where it was very unsafe. What the fuck was I thinking? Too little, too late.

He yelled for Henry, who was a little further ahead of him. The dust was settling from the unexpected collapse, and August coughed as he peered through the dust. He could just make out the yellow of Henry's back pack ahead.

"Henry, stay where you are!" the writer called anxiously. It wouldn't do to be separated. His sense of dread and impending doom became a constriction on his airway passage. He found himself choking, stumbling towards the young boy who by now looked very scared by their situation.

He stayed put where he was, and August practically crawled towards him. When he caught up, he staggered to his feet. They figured their best bet was to keep moving, away from the asphyxiating dust and whatever gasses that might have been unleashed.

Henry didn't seem as affected, being closer to the ground as he was. August hunched over and tried to pull Henry close, his arm extended and outreached protectively over the young boy's head in case of another collapse. Henry wouldn't admit it, but he was scared as he marched along with August, clutching to his leather jacket.

"No one knows we're down here," Henry said anxiously. "I'm sorry, August, I thought we might find some proof down here," Henry said. "I didn't mean for us to get stuck," he whined.

August was growing exhausted, and his leg was hurting him something terribly. He just needed to sit down for a second. He puffed in exertion, and finally Henry slowed beside him.

"It's okay, kid, shit happens sometimes," the writer said. "No apology necessary," he said to the young boy. "You said a bad word," Henry remarked archly.

"Who's gonna tell on me? You?" August asked mischievously, though the expression on his face was an excruciatingly pained grimace. "You're in enough trouble as it is, kid," the writer wryly remarked.

"So are you!" Henry harshly reminded the writer. "You're the adult, you're supposed to know better," Henry said, mocking what he knew the other adults were going to say. August chuckled. The kid had him there. "So I don't always know what's best, so sue me," the writer said unapologetically.

Their little banter back and forth served to calm Henry considerably. He found himself sitting beside the teasing, comforting adult. Since they were truly alone now, Henry felt safe enough to ask the question he'd been dying to ask. "Are you my dad?"

August sputtered. "What the hell makes you think that?!" he asked, forgetting who he was talking to. He sounded much harsher than he meant when he realized the stricken look on Henry's young face. Henry looked guiltily down at his knees that were dirty with soot. "Well, you just seemed like someone from my mom's past, and I was curious about you. She's never told me anything about my dad," Henry confessed.

August gave the kid a calculating look. "I'm sorry, but no, I'm not your dad," August answered the kid. "But I did know your dad, if that helps," he said to the young boy and Henry lit up. "What was he like?" Henry asked, the embodiment of the expression curiosity killed the cat.

"I think I'll let your mother tell you about him, since she obviously hasn't for a reason," the writer cautiously said. He wasn't going to be exposing anyone's secrets today, especially if this was some knowledge Emma was purposefully withholding from her son. He didn't blame her, as unfavorable as the circumstances were that he'd left her in. If she didn't think he was old enough to know, he'd let her make that call.

Henry wilted at this statement. August wondered how long it would take for them to realize Henry was missing. He started to sweat with panic, knowing they would accuse him of kidnapping just like they'd been worried about since day one. Now he was fucked, unless he found some way out before morning before the boy could be missed.

This thought motivated August to stand, and he started searching again with Henry for a way out.