Henry always enjoyed family parties, no matter the occasion. Maybe, they had been in danger far too many times, and such gatherings implied that everything was fine if only for the time being. This was one of the rare ones that was not putting him at ease. It was time, he knew not the best, to clear some things up. He made a j turn to avoid Doc and headed in the direction of his daughter and her companion.

"Hey, Luc. Can I borrow your aunt for a second?"

"Right now? But Dad, she was just about-"

"How about this, Lucy?" Ivy cut in, "You go ask Anna about her school and later we'll finish our chat."

She huffed, not much happy with the arrangement, "Fine."

"Um, I wanted to talk. Let's..." he gestured to the door, "It's crowded in here."

They stepped outside of Granny's. The diner was becoming too small for the extending family, but some things were just tradition. It was a cool summer night, trees swaying in the wind. Dreadful silence was settling between them and Ivy tried to end it, "So, how's-"

"Why are you here?"

"What do you mean?"

"You took your sister and left the moment the curse broke. It took you what, four months before you called Ella."

After giving it a thought, she opted for a non-specific reply, "I needed things to settle down."

He rested his elbows on the railing, "Nobody would have harmed you."

"Really? Your mother threatened me with a baseball bat. Before she got her magic back. I didn't feel like sticking around to test people's tolerance level. And now... now we've settled our differences and Anna and I can try to rebuild the family we once were."

"Is that so?" Henry turned to her. He kept his voice calm, "How's that going?"

"Anna's fit well into the new world. She loves it in New York and deserves good life." Ivy had a feeling this was not the thing he wanted to discuss but she wasn't sure she wanted them to get to the point any time soon. So, she decided to go along with the small talk, "School and friends are very important to her, so I waited for the summer break before getting us back."

"And what about you?"

"I'm doing fine. I prefer this realm, I think. I have a job, good apartment. I cook." she smiled, "I'm not unhappy, I suppose."

"Good. I never want to see you unhappy."

"Still?" she asked timidly.

"That will never change. But I thought you would want the same for me."

She furrowed her eyebrows and shifted away, almost insulted by the remark, "Henry, I get that you don't feel comfortable around me, after all I did almost kill you. But when Jacinda called me to come back, she assured me that all of you have-"

"It's not that."

"Than what is it?" she lowered her voice, remembering half of his family was close by. "I'm sorry but I don't get it. You were always forgiving and honorable, at times to the point of absurdity, and now you- I don't know what you want me to do."

"Remember the last time we saw each other?"

"I think something bad's going on here." he shouted to Ivy as the walked along the crowded street. There was some commotion happening because he never saw so many people on the streets of Hyperion Heights.

"Everything is going to be fine." she took his hand and pulled him around the corned, "Trust me."

"I'm not so sure, Ivy. I think we should go check."

"Of course. Anna is safe in my mother's office, I have to get her. You should go to Jacinda and Lucy." there was the sweetest sadness in her eyes, "Will you do that?"

He shook his head. Something was amiss. "First, tell me what's really happening."

"Just listen to me." her voice was cracking, suddenly void of resolution, "Everything will make sense in no time."

He squeezed her hand, "Why does it feel like you're saying goodbye?"

"I'm saying thank you, Henry." her fingertips brushed across his skin. She stretched herself up on tiptoes and placed ghost of a kiss on his lips, one much different from that they shared once before, "I will never forget these images."

"I do." she looked away, suddenly finding the vine twisting around the pillar quite interesting.

"You were doing your clever tricks that- I've become almost haunted by you and..." he had invited her to stay at his place when he'd agreed to help her find Anastasia, knowing it had the potential to cause a rift between Jacinda and himself. He hadn't wanted her to be alone. It had taken him three days to get used to waking up in the morning and seeing her in the living room making coffee, humming a melody she'd said was a lullaby from her childhood. Then, all the memories returned and he was back to living his intended story. Yet, it took him months to get used to waking up in the morning without her on his mind. He couldn't walk the streets they walked together. A sense of relief filled him when Ella suggested they move to Storybrooke, "And I bet you are just fine."

He was hurt, he sounded cynical, almost not himself.

Had he known she tried ah so hard to push the thoughts of Henry Mills away, he wouldn't dream of even thinking that. A part of her wished for some curse to strike and erase the images of the sweetest man who unintentionally, almost effortlessly got hold of her heart.

"You may not believe it but physical safety did not score number one on the list of reasons for my leaving when I did." she huffed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She's done so much harm to all of them and staying away was part of rectifying that. Regina was watching them from behind glass door, ready to step in at any moment, "This is neither the place nor time to discuss this."

"Yeah. The point is, I somehow made it easy for you to walk in and out of my life. And now I want you to say goodbye and let me be." he stepped away from her and looked up in the sky.

Frustration was bubbling below the surface. She wanted to scream the ugly, naked truth to him but it would be unfair, "I don't think it wise to speak about this but all I will say is that this almost something between us is what I will cherish forever." Ivy sniffled and brushed the tears forming in her eyes. She fixed her jacket, composing herself, "Anna and I leave in two days and I'll make sure I stay away." as she brushed past him, she halted for a moment. She wanted him to stop her, she knew he wouldn't.

'Ivy, wait.' he almost said, words were there on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and exhaled slowly, trembling within.

Regina found him standing in the same spot fifteen minutes later, "Henry?"

"Hm?"

"Are you ok?" she asked knowing full well what thoughts plagued her son's mind.

He stretched his lips in a smile, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Ready to come back in then?"

"Almost." he replied.

That word. They could easily be defined by the word almost, half-formed almost moments that could have been something else. They were a hopeless dream, a luckless romance he had to turn his back on. That was the thing with almost lovers, they always brought heartache.

I guess this maybe isn't the place for making requests, but can someone make short a fanvid to this song?

As always, thank you for reading.