The man who was both David Nolan and Prince James—he wasn't always sure which—took a seat on the sofa to wait for his grandson to bring out his well-worn math notebook. Thanking about school just made him miss Mary Margaret more. He had a hunch that Henry wouldn't have been struggling if she'd been there to explain things. He didn't let himself dwell there long. The thought of Mary Margaret's face made him think of the girl he'd only just found out was his daughter, and the collective pain of missing both of them was too much to let himself feel when he had Henry to look after.
The little boy dutifully took his seat next to his grandfather. "Sorry I lied about my homework," he said, hanging his head and saying it fast so the words ran together.
"That's ok," said David, putting an arm around him. He would never say it to his grandson, but he was glad Henry had started to show that he wasn't perfect once in a while. David didn't know very much about life with Regina, but he had a feeling good behavior had been an issue of fear rather than cooperation. He remembered his own childhood well enough to know that no kid was as perfect as Henry had seemed at first, and he was relieved to see a more normal side, a side that showed that the kid was getting more comfortable. If that meant challenging the boundaries a little bit, Prince Charming could handle it.
What neither Prince Charming nor David Nolan could handle was pre-Algebra. After two hours of wrangling, the older man was in fully sympathy with his grandson's effort to avoid his assignment. "I wish Mary Margaret was here!" burst out of Henry's mouth after an effort at a problem that seemed like Greek to both of them. As soon as he'd said it, David could feel him tense up next to him. "I'm—sorry," he said quickly. "I didn't mean—"
"It's ok, kid," said David, "I wish she was here, too." Henry relaxed against him, and David realized the little boy was exhausted. "Go get ready for bed, and we'll get Red to help you tomorrow."
"Red?" Henry stared at him blankly.
"Sure," said David, "when it comes to math, Red is your girl."
"Ok," said Henry dubiously, getting up to change into his pajamas.
David liked this time the best, when Henry would emerge in his pajamas, looking no more than his real age. During the day, he had a tendency to seem like a little adult, with all the wisdom and weight of the world on his shoulders, but at night he turned back into a little boy. At those times, it almost seemed like David was getting some of the moments back that he'd missed with Emma when she was a little girl, and he poured all of his love for his daughter and his wife into his grandson.
