…5 Years Ago…

Two years later and still the questioning of Henry's pocket-watch lingered around town. Have you found it yet? Are you able to enter Gold's shop yet? Can we go back? Each time and to everyone's disappointment, Henry would shake his head and shrug his shoulders replying with a 'no'.

After a couple years of living under the same roof as her parents Emma moved out and found an apartment close by in a development at the end of town. Much to Henry's disgust, it was so that she and Killian could have some more privacy to themselves. However much Henry didn't like Killian, he definitely appreciated and respected how much he made his mother happy. So for the time being, Henry learned to settle with simply tolerating the once one-handed pirate.

The other major perk to Emma having her own apartment was Henry having a second bedroom, which is where Henry stood staring into the mirror. He huffed a frustrated sigh as he struggled aligning the two pieces to straighten his bowtie. "Mom!" called out Henry from his bedroom for Emma. Dressed in a tuxedo, he yanked the bow tie off and started over again.

"Yeah?" called back Emma as she entered his room in a pale light colored dress of her own. "What's up?"

"I can't figure out… this… darn thing!" Henry said as he twisted and folded the now wrinkled tie into a strange knot. Emma chuckled to herself as she conjured another bowtie in her hand.

"Let me help," said Emma as Henry tossed the crumpled tie onto his dresser. He looked at the bowtie in her hand and noticed the already assembled bow and clip.

"Oh," smiled Henry as she took the easy clip-on tie and wrapped it around his neck, "Well, I suppose that's much easier."

"To be fair, I don't even know how to tie a bowtie. Regular long ties, yes… bowties, no. Though, there is always YouTube."

"Ah, yes," agreed Henry, "The magic and wonders of YouTube."

Henry went to his bed and threw on a black vest. Emma took a step back and couldn't help but admire her son. "Well don't you look handsome?" she remarked with a smile.

"Mom…" Henry blushed as he went to his closet for his tuxedo jacket.

"You know… a suit looks great on you. It's very dashing." Henry silently slipped his arms through the sleeves as Emma seemed hesitant with her next statement. Not sure how to broach the subject, she simply blurted out, "So… are there any girls at school I should be aware of?"

"Mom…" said Henry, rolling his eyes.

"Boys?"

"Mom!"

"I'm just saying! As a proud mother, you look very handsome." Emma came closer to Henry and started affectionately brushing off the non-existent lint from the shoulder of his tuxedo jacket. "I'm just surprised you're not dating anybody. Isn't the school prom sometime soon?"

"It's later this spring and no, I… haven't asked anybody to prom yet. I've just been really focused on school and magic stuff."

"How have your lessons with Regina been going lately, by the way?"

"Good. Challenging. We've been working on potions, which by the way, I can now make a phenomenal wart remover."

Emma giggled, "That's good to know."

"or… a poison that renders you unconscious for about thirty-two hours," finished Henry. "Either way, I think it's an improvement."

Emma nodded her head hesitantly, "Sure?" She wanted to show her approval of his progress, but was also a little shocked by what he had created in the lessons. "I suppose there are worse things."

"Yeah, Regina says I'll be ready for curses or deadly tonics next week," said Henry as he turned to look at Emma. Henry noticed Emma's face and immediately saw her displeasure. He cracked a smile and said kiddingly, "I'm only joking Mom. Relax. Regina won't let me anywhere near her dark stuff unless she's like three inches away from me."

"Oh," said Emma as she smiled and exhaled a sigh of relief. "So… have you tried opening up Mr. Gold's shop yet?"

"Yeah. No luck though," said Henry as he shook his head. "Have you and Regina finished drawing up plans for how we're going to coordinate and ship people to and from Storybrooke?"

"I've been doing some research at work and… Regina and I are mostly going to model the Transportation Charter after the passport system that this world has already established here. Or, at least, that's what we've discussed so far. We're currently in the process of formally writing up the lingo for financial restitutions." Henry scrunched his face in confusion. Emma reiterated by clarifying, "In case damages from magical mishaps were to occur, who is liable and such. It'll all be incorporated as a tax for purchasing the passport… work stuff."

"Alright," said Henry turning to the mirror one last time. "I'm ready. Are you ready?"

Emma nodded her head and then waved her left hand over the other. In a cloud of red smoke she conjured a bouquet of roses. However, they weren't your typical roses. As Henry looked on, he noticed that the flowers' petals had all been splattered as if with red and white paint. Puzzled by the oddity in color choice Henry asked, "Those are some strange roses. Are they for the wedding?"

"Oh, well, it's for the ceremony tonight. I've decided to call it Wonderland Roses. When I asked Regina on her opinion for favorite color rose she couldn't decide between red and white. Red reminded her too much of her mother and white reminded her of… well, Snow White. I figured, why not both?"

"Oh, I get it," said Henry smiling and recognizing the new symbolism, "the painting of the roses. Like from Alice in Wonderland."

"Exactly," Emma said looking down at the roses pensively.

"Cold feet?"

"No! No. Let's… well… let's get this done. Regina said she'd meet us there right after work."

Henry looked down at his wrist-watch, "It's almost six. If we take the car, we'll be late. Magic?"

"Sure, but, from now on let's try to be a little faster and take the car. I know it's just a simple apparition, but I can't help feeling superstitious. You know that all magi-"

"-that all magic comes with a price. I know. I know, but just this once?"

"Just this once," smiled Emma as they both vanished from her apartment. They appeared just at the bottom steps of the church. "Are you ready?" she asked her son.

"Let's do this."

They both glanced at each other fondly before ascending the steps and entering the church. Inside the atrium at the end of the aisle stood Killian, Robin and Roland waiting for the rest of their party to arrive. As they passed the rows of empty pews, Robin stood at the end of the aisle straightening Roland's tie while Killian waited patiently for Emma. It was obvious from their everyday attire that this whole ceremony was done at the last minute, but nobody in the room seemed to care. It was after all, an intimate ceremony.

Robin looked up and said to Emma, "Have you seen Regina?"

Emma got closer and stopped, "No, I haven't." She looked behind her and offered, "I'll just go wait outside for her when she arrives."

Everyone nodded as Emma turned right back around to wait for Regina outside the church. Just as Emma stepped outside the doors Regina pulled up to the church in her Mercedes. Still dressed in her formal dress work clothes she stepped out of her car looking a bit frazzled but as regal as ever. Even as the wind tossed her hair, she still managed to keep such elegant poise.

"You're late," called Emma down to Regina.

"A Queen is never late," said Regina. "And besides, this is my wedding."

"We're all here. Didn't want to start the show without you," Emma said to Regina as they walked towards each other. With the Wonderland Roses still in her hands, Emma handed the flowers off to Regina.

"Not that you could have," said Regina as she accepted the flowers with an endearing smile. She inhaled the flowers wonderful scent and exhaled with a sigh of relief. Slowly, she looked up at Emma and said sincerely, "I wanted to thank you for not inviting your parents along. The reason why I chose to have an impromptu small wedding was so that it wouldn't turn into a three-ring circus."

"If you're anything like me, I wouldn't want a big ceremony either. It just seems overwhelming."

"It's not that. It's just… unfortunately, I already had the big wedding… a royal fairy-tale wedding actually,… with your grandfather." Emma furrowed her brow and grimaced slightly over the comment. The moment was only slightly awkward because they both knew exactly how closely tied their family was. Despite the weird family history they shared, Regina continued, "That whole time, even through all the pomp and circumstance, I had often times wondered what my wedding with Daniel might have looked like. I'm sure something small and simple, like this. But this relationship I have with Robin it's… well, it's different. Therefore," Regina continued in her authoritative manner, "I think it's only appropriate to have this wedding be different as well."

Emma nodded concurring with Regina's sentiments. "I can understand that," said Emma as she looked around them. Regina paused to reflect on her past love, but the awkward silence Emma was experiencing drew Regina back when Emma asked, "So, do you wanna get married now, or what?"

Regina looked up at Emma and smiled genuinely. They both smiled at each other as Regina led the way into the church.

… …

When Emma left the church to greet Regina it left Henry, Roland, Killian and Robin to talk amongst themselves. Henry sat in a pew next to Roland a few rows back from the altar and immediately started talking about school and archery lessons. Meanwhile, Robin was left alone to make small talk with Killian.

"So, uh," said Killian looking around the church, "who's officiating this last-minute wedding?"

"Friar Tuck," answered Robin. Noticing Killian's concern on the officiator's absence he continued, "He's just conversing with Mother Superior out in the hall. He should be arriving any moment."

Killian couldn't help but admire Henry's seemingly enjoyable conversation with Roland unlike his own with Robin. Robin gawked lovingly at his son as he leaned forward on the front pew.

"So mate, I have to ask…" Killian began to say as Robin looked over at him, "why the hasty wedding?"

Robin chuckled to himself as he replied, "We didn't want to make a fuss. We've both been through weddings before, both of them grandiose. All the pageantry would bring up too many old memories from our past lives that had once defined us. Well, we don't want our pasts to define us anymore. So we're starting fresh. By week's end I'm sure everyone's going to find out somehow, but hopefully by then we'll already be on our honeymoon enjoying ourselves and not here to endure the community's opinion when our union becomes headline news. That's why we're doing this now. Besides it's impossible to do any covert planning around here. We both know way too many people." Robin couldn't help but notice Killian's shaky demeanor with his erect posture and distant far-off look. "What's wrong man? You seem more nervous than I am, and I'm the one who's getting married today."

Killian grinned with embarrassment and scoffed at the stress he was feeling. It took him a few moments to compose himself before he could explain, "Marriage… funny thing about it… for a sea captain we live, eat and breathe by the sea. Captains fall in love with the turbulent waters, but can never fare it alone. That's why we marry our ships and give them female names."

"But you no longer have a ship to call your own," Robin pointed out.

"Aye, which is why I have this…" said Killian as he pulled out a ring box from within the depths of his jacket. He opened the box to reveal a beautiful engagement ring. The design featured an ocean wave made of silver, which enveloped a circle-cut diamond.

"Blimey! Is that ring for-"

"Emma," Killian said, cutting Robin off. "Yes."

"Well?! Come off it, why haven't you proposed to her yet? Ah, let me guess… you don't have the father's consent."

"No, I have David's blessing," Killian looked up from the floor into Robin's eyes and then turned to look at Henry, "it's Henry's I don't."

"Why do you seek Henry's consent?"

Killian blinked a few times then looked down at his feet as he scuffed them across the floor. He seemed somber as he mournfully reflected, "For closure, from Neal. His father and I never saw eye to eye, but that didn't mean I stopped loving or respecting him. Henry's father loved Emma first. Like his father, Henry and I don't exactly see eye to eye as well. I feel that… with Henry's blessing I have, in some small way, Neal's blessing as well. It feels like the right thing to do."

Suddenly the doors opened up from the outside and a light casting Regina's silhouette was seen. Killian quickly stuffed the engagement ring back into his jacket pocket, hiding it just in time from Emma who had just followed after Regina. Both Henry and Roland immediately got up from the pew and met Killian and Robin by the altar.

"Where's the Friar?" Regina asked as she approached Robin down the aisle. Just then a set of doors flung open from the inside and a heavy-set man in dark brown robes ran in to meet the betrothed.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" said Friar Tuck with his face red and flustered. "I'm here! Are you ready?"

Everyone around Robin and Regina assembled and assumed their positions. Roland stood next to his father and Killian beside the young boy. Henry stood beside Regina and Emma beside their son. Regina beamed, grinning from ear to ear as she stared at her future husband. The corners of Robin's eyes wrinkled from smiling so much. Without losing her loving gaze at Robin, Regina replied, "More than ever."

… …

The ceremony was quick and quaint. For everyone present the wedding was quiet, intimate and beautiful. Unfortunately, when Regina and Robin opened the chapel doors they were immediately greeted with a loud cheer. Every friendly face they knew from town had shown up to the church to celebrate the newlyweds.

Regina turned to Emma with an unpleasant look, "I thought I told you not to tell anybody."

To Emma's surprise she replied honestly, "I didn't. I swear!"

"It was me," said Henry with a mischievous smile. Both of his mothers turned to him unhappily. "Come on, Mom. Today is a happy day. Today marks the beginning of your happy ending."

"That's where you're wrong, my love," said Regina while looking nervously at the crowd below. She turned to her son and looked at him with the greatest sincerity and a joyous smile of her own. "My happy ending started a long time ago… when you came into my life." Regina reached over and lovingly touched the bottom of Henry's chin. "I love you Henry."

"I love you too, Mom," smiled Henry.

Regina turned to face the crowd and hand in hand with Robin slowly descended the stairs. Along the way, they were greeted with smiles, pats on the back, and congratulatory remarks. Robin was all but smiles, shaking hands with friends he knew. Regina was surprised, timidly waving at people who were once her enemies but were now her friends.

Regina felt trapped as David and Mary-Margaret approached her and Robin with big smiles. David came to Robin and shook his hand while Mary-Margaret immediately came over to Regina and hugged her. Reluctantly, Regina accepted the hug. Mary-Margaret pulled back from the hug and with tears in her eyes said jubilantly, "I knew this day would come! That you could find happiness. I am just beyond happy for you both!"

Regina stepped awkwardly from the embrace and grinned awkwardly at Mary-Margaret. Regina blushed then smiled appreciatively. She struggled to muster up the words. Then with upmost sincerity Regina said, "Thank you… Snow."

Robin and Regina moved on from the Charmings. She didn't expect to see so many people come to celebrate their union. It was the most unexpected moment that she had secretly been looking forward to all her life. To be loved and adored by her people. Granted, there were a lot people in town that still had misgivings about her and her past, but she didn't care about them now. It was this moment and it was so overwhelming that she was moved to tears.

At the end of the procession stood a beautiful white horse and its owner, Kristoff, next to it. Kristoff offered and handed off the reigns to Robin who graciously accepted the elegant beast. Robin turned to his wife and offered his hand. Regina looked down at her work dress and realized that she wasn't suited to ride a horse. She wiped the residual happy tears away from her face and before she could say 'no' Robin lifted her up by the waist and hoisted her onto the horse. While she side-straddled the animal she watched Robin place his foot into the side stirrup and swing his other leg effortlessly over the horse's body sitting directly behind her. The moment they were situated they immediately trotted away from the crowd, waving goodbye to the people who greeted them at the promenade.

Emma turned to Henry, "How on Earth did you accomplish this? We literally were told to meet Regina here like forty minutes ago."

"I knew Robin was going to marry Regina."

"You knew?"

Henry nodded. "Regina's family are all deceased, so Robin asked me for her hand."

"Did he now?"

"Yep."

"And all these people?" Emma asked as they stared at the crowd below who were talking amongst themselves.

"I had coordinated with Granny a while back and told her that one day I'd call on her to help rally friends together to celebrate Regina and Robin. That's all I said. Today was that day, so I called her right before I got dressed. Believe me I was just as surprised as you guys were to see who actually showed up."

"So… where are Robin and Regina going?" Killian asked, standing behind Emma.

"I don't know. Probably somewhere isolated for their honeymoon," Henry said simply. "It's probably better that I don't know." Henry turned facing his mother, "It looks like I'll be staying with you guys tonight."

"Well," said Emma as she looked at the crowd of people, "what are we going to do with everybody now that they're all here?"

Henry beamed as he exclaimed, "Granny's of course!"

… …

The entire gathering walked together as a group towards Granny's Diner for the after party. Since the gathering was supposed to be a surprise it wasn't expected of Robin or Regina to show up to their own after party. Despite the fact that the guests of honor were absent, all anybody in this town needed was a reason to celebrate and so they celebrated together. To Henry's pleasure, he enjoyed talking to everyone there about how much Regina had changed and how happy they were to see her and Robin so happy.

Killian stood by Emma looking nervous as he stared over at Henry who was laughing and talking to Roland, Hansel and Gretel. While Emma was distracted talking to her mother, Killian walked over to Henry.

"Henry…" called Killian timidly. The young crowd looked up at Killian expectantly. Henry looked up at Killian. "…might I have a word with you?"

"Sure. What's up?" shouted Henry over the loud multiple conversations that were happening around them. The boisterous cheers and bellows of everybody there made for poor intimate conversations.

"I was thinking privately… perhaps in a quieter space?"

Killian led the way, stepping outside the diner through the back-side entrance. Henry stepped forward from behind Killian and faced him. "So, Killian, what is it you want to talk about?"

"It was a nice ceremony, wasn't it?" Killian said, stalling.

"Yeah, it was."

Silence fell between the two. Henry knew that they weren't outside to talk about his mother's wedding. Killian hesitated, "Henry… what do you think about my relationship with your mother… Emma?"

"What do I think?" Henry looked shocked. "Honestly?"

Killian nodded.

"Ok, well… for reasons I can't really explain, I just don't trust you. Maybe it's this weird history that you have with my entire family, I don't know. Don't get me wrong, you've changed a lot these past few years, but some part of me… deep down, still sees a selfish pirate." Killian looked disheartened and defeated. Henry continued, "but I know Emma loves you… and somehow you make her happy. Why are you asking?"

Killian gulped then reached into his coat pocket, pulling out the engagement ring and showing it to Henry. Henry took out the ring from its box to inspect it more thoroughly before replying, "Woah! Wait a second… did you steal this?"

"No!" retorted Killian, who seemed affronted. "After working at the Cannery as a Fishing Captain for the past few years, I was finally able to save enough to purchase this. I was hoping I could get your blessing before asking for her hand in marriage."

"Aren't you supposed to ask the father? David?"

"He already knows and he's given his blessing. I seek yours because of that 'weird family history' we seem to have… but mostly because of your father. He was your mother's first love and I can't help but carry this guilt inside for him. Whether you believe this or not, I loved and respected your father." Killian paused for a moment to reflect as Henry scrutinized him. He continued, "I need your blessing, perhaps even your forgiveness, to make amends and to those loose ends I had with him."

Henry stared at the ring and pondered some more. He looked up at Killian and then said as he handed the ring back, "I don't know if I can forgive you on behalf of my father, but you have my blessing to marry my Mom. However… if you ever break her heart, well, let's just say that I'll make whatever my grandfather threatened you with seem like child's play."

Killian stood there dumbfounded and shocked over Henry's blessing and threat. Then he cracked a smile guising his nervousness and chuckled, "Good thing I love your mother then because David's threat was exile."

Henry turned away from Killian and made his way back inside the diner. He opened the door and paused in its threshold. Before going completely inside he turned towards Killian giving him a sideways glance, "I was referring to my other grandfather."

A fluff chapter, I admit. But it served a couple of purposes: Seeing life move on, an update on Henry's magical education, and how Emma and Regina were going to handle the usage of Cogsworth in Storybrooke.

As always, thank you Imusicluver23, Montreat11, ladybugsmomma, Grace5231973, and NatalieMosherRumbelle for reading and reviewing. See you next chapter!