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"Henry's got a girlfriend," Emma sang in her sing-song voice as they sat at the dinner table.
"I do not!" he protested.
"Did you kiss her? Huh…huh?"
"Emma!"
"This girl of yours," David asked, taking a spoonful of peas and mixing it with potatoes, as he winked at Emma in good jest, "is she your true love?"
"Charming!" Snow hissed, batting her husband's hand, making him flinch. "Stop harassing him!"
"We're just kidding with the kid," Emma said, laughing. Henry frowned at her, so she shot him a loving gaze.
"I'm sure Grace is a lovely girl," Snow said softly to Henry before getting up to clear her plate.
"I'm sure she is too, kid," Emma added in, being serious, "but you're not dating anyone. Until you're thirty."
He laughed. "It's okay, girls are weird," he said, trying to see if the cootie thing would be believable enough to get them off his back, but no one was buying it.
"That's what I said when I was his age," David said.
Emma cut him off, not wanting to hear the details of how that had changed and how he fell madly in love with Snow. "Okay, kid, go take a shower and get ready for bed!"
As Henry headed toward the bathroom, Emma and Snow finished cleaning up the kitchen. Emma began gathering up the plates and rinsing them as Snow started to unload the dishwasher.
"Question for you," Emma said, dumping the utensils in the bin.
"What's up?"
"Does Henry still see Archie?"
Snow's face was puzzled when she looked up to her daughter. "Why, what's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing," Emma said, not wanting to alarm her, "I just…Regina hadn't mentioned if he's still in therapy."
"I don't think so," Snow answered as she put away a stack of clean dishes. "I mean ever since the curse broke, she has no need to keep up the mirage that Henry has a deluded obsession with fairytales."
"Right," Emma mumbled, "I guess he must have talked to Archie as a friend."
"What was that?"
"Nothing. Nothing to worry about."
Having finished cleaning the kitchen, Emma went up to Henry's room to wait for him. She looked around, remembering when the four of them had lived here. It still felt the same. She put her hand on his pillow, touching the sunken area made by his head. She smiled as she looked over to the nightstand to see none other than his book. It had seen better days. The edges were bent and scuffed and a small piece of the leather binding was coming off. A few years had passed since her son had taken her by surprise by knocking on her door with that book in her hand. When she thought about it, these bound tattered papers had saved her life.
"All clean!" Henry said, making his way into the room.
"Teeth brushed?"
"Yep!"
"Hair combed?"
"You're starting to sound like Mom."
She shot him a dirty look as he jumped into bed. As he dug his way under the comforter, she picked up his clothes and threw them in the hamper. Then she noticed his backpack lying next to his overnight bag.
"So what's this school project that your mom mentioned?" Emma asked.
"Oh yeah," Henry said, squirming around under his covers to find a comfortable position, "we have to tell the class the fairytale involving our parents."
"Well, kid," Emma said, looking over at his book, "I think you have the cheat sheet for this one."
"But I want to tell a story that's not in the book," he said, with a grin that made Emma certain which story he was thinking about.
"It's not really a fairytale, Henry."
"Sure it is," he protested, "it's got all the right elements. Heroes who are on a quest. Good versus evil. And…," he paused for a moment, "true love."
Emma raised her eyebrows, especially at the last remark.
"So, can you tell me the story of how you and mom saved me?"
"I've told you at least a hundred times."
"Please?" Henry pleaded. "So it's fresh in my mind when I tell it?"
Emma sighed and shook her head. Picking up the towel that he had tossed carelessly on the floor, she folded it over one arm and sat at the end of his bed. "Well," she began, "if memory serves correct, this fairytale begins with your mother complaining."
"Wait up! I can't walk that fast!" Regina shouted.
"Probably because you decided to wear heels!" Emma yelled back.
The jungles of Neverland were consumed by a deep misty fog that swept through the various shades of green. The heavy brush made it difficult to move about, let alone see the muddy ground. Even with a quick pace, it was impossible not to be trapped by the mess.
"I didn't really have time to put on more suitable shoes."
"Not to worry, mates," Hook interrupted the bickering, "it's not much further."
They had been walking through the wooded area of Neverland for nearly three hours. All of them were tired, only carrying through on their adrenaline fueled by a love for Henry. Emma was beginning to feel comfortable with the trade of her gun for a blade. She made her way back, slashing at the protruding branches, and reached her hand out to Regina to pull her from the mud.
"I could carry you the rest of the way, you know," Emma suggested, the corners of her mouth turning upward into a grin.
"Really, you don't need any more opportunities to flaunt your heroic pride," Regina answered, brushing herself off.
As they walked further, the sound of running water grew louder. For some reason, Emma felt a calming sensation wash over her. The smell of water lilies tickled her nose—a soft and sweet aroma with a hint of lemon and rose. She looked to her parents, who had stopped at the sight of a large lagoon.
"Why are we looking for Peter Pan at a lagoon?" Charming asked. "Does he flirt with mermaids?"
Only Snow chuckled at this. Regina rolled her eyes at Emma, causing her to grin.
"We're not looking for Pan," Hook answered. "We're looking for his little fairy friend."
"Tinkerbell?" Emma asked.
"That'd be the lass."
"So, how do we find this Tinkerbell?" Regina asked.
"Oh, we don't find her," Hook answered. "She's an angry, meddling little ball of light. She'll know we're here and she'll find us."
No sooner had the words left Hook's mouth did Emma feel something brush her cheek. She swatted it away, thinking it was a pesky mosquito. A faint flutter of wings could be heard as she felt her cheek tickle once more. And then, she felt a tug on her hair.
"Ouch!" she said aloud, and looked around to find the source. Hook moved slowly toward her, stretched out his good hand, and pinched at what seemed to be thin air.
"Gotcha!"
Emma, Regina, Snow and David all turned in awe to see what Hook had caught. There, dangling between his index finger and thumb, was a tiny little being. She seemed to be glowing. She fidgeted in anger as Hook gave her a closer look. The fairy simply buzzed rampantly.
"How are we going to talk to her?" David asked.
"How else?" Regina answered, moving closer to Hook's prize. "Magic." She reached out to get the wriggling fairy's attention. "Stay still, this won't hurt a bit." With a wave of her hand, the glow around the fairy turned purple for a mere moment. Upon returning to her normal glow, Tinkerbell gasped.
"Let me down, you silly ass!"
Snow and David both chuckled at the cuteness of the tiny thing spouting such profanity. Tinkerbell wormed around a bit more, but Hook's effortless grip would not loosen.
"I will, once you answer some questions."
She seemed to calm down a bit. "What do you want?"
"Peter Pan—where is he?"
"How should I know?"
She tried to dodge Hook's glare as he raised an eyebrow. "Really love? Are you going to pretend you aren't buzzing up his ass everywhere he goes?"
Tinkerbell sighed, admitting to the well-known behavior. "Why should I tell you?"
"Because he has my son," Emma said, stepping forward, "our son," she corrected herself, taking Regina's hand. "We need to get him back."
The small fairy looked at the pleading mothers. She was used to this look. But usually, it was found in the eyes of the lost boys. Many times she had wished she could use her fairy dust to reunite them with their mothers. And now was a perfect opportunity to help a family.
"You can find Peter at Skull Rock," she said, looking at the two women, "As for beating him and saving your son," she paused, momentarily reluctant to betray her friend, "you'll need to put Peter's shadow back in his body."