…Four years ago…
Henry dressed in a black graduation gown tossed his graduation cap into the air. It was a sunny day outside the building of town hall where the ceremony was held. All the families met up with the graduates outside and congregated in front of the building. His high school class was small which made for a very short ceremony, which Henry was glad for. As Henry came forward towards his family he waved his diploma with glee.
"It's official! No more school!" he proclaimed jubilantly.
Mary-Margaret, David, Neal, Robin, Roland, Regina, Killian, and Emma moved in closer and gathered around him.
"Henry!" shouted Regina as she shook her head. She waved her hand and in a cloud of magical red smoke she retrieved Henry's graduation cap. "We still have pictures to take!"
She handed the cap back to her son and everyone took their turns congratulating him individually.
"Congrats, Henry!" said David as he patted his shoulder.
"Good form, mate," nodded Killian.
"I may have been your teacher, but I'm still your grandmother and could still teach you a lesson or two," said Mary-Margaret as she hugged him tightly.
"Kudos, kiddo," said Emma, giving her son a hug as well.
"I'm eighteen, Mom. I'm not a kid anymore," corrected Henry towards his mother.
"I know," understood Emma, "but you're still a kid to me."
"Congratulations Henry," said Robin as he shook Henry's hand.
"Thanks Robin," said Henry to Robin as he gave Roland a high-five. "And," he began to say as he faced the rest of his family, "Thank you everybody. Granny's?"
"Nope," insisted Regina shaking her head again. "Pictures first."
They took about a dozen photos in all various family combinations. After about fifteen minutes of gratuitous picture-taking and fake smiling, Henry was relieved when Regina said out-loud, "Alright. Granny's."
"Good!" sighed Henry gladly, "My cheeks were getting tired."
Regina rolled her eyes at her son as he bolted toward her car with Roland. They all met up at Granny's and to Henry's surprise, was greeted with a cake made personally by Granny herself. As she placed the cake on the counter before the family she claimed, "My finest cake yet! I think I outdid myself with this one."
Henry's eyes bulged as he stared at the double-layered cake with creative icing on top saying, 'Congratulations Henry!'.
"Wow Granny! It looks great!" complimented Henry.
Emma saw the cake from the opposite side and chuckled to herself. Seeing Emma's amusement, Regina turned to Emma and asked, "What is it?"
Emma turned the cake around on its axis and Regina saw written in icing on the other side, 'taking applications'.
… …
Henry took up Granny's offer and started working nights to bring in cash to help pay rent at Emma's apartment. The whole arrangement spurned an argument between Regina and Emma and what they disagreed upon was the idea of paying rent. Regina's argument was that he shouldn't have to, that it would ward him off from coming home. Emma argued that paying rent would teach him financial responsibility for the real world. Regina caved, realizing that they were in fact in that real world and that royal inheritance was a bit antiquated anyways. After talking to her parents about the matter, both David and Mary-Margaret couldn't blame Regina for feeling the way that she did because that was what was customary back in their land. However customary it was, they were no longer back in their land and so Emma won the dispute.
Personally, Henry felt it only right to pay Emma rent. If anything, he wanted to prove to himself as well as to his family that he could be financially responsible. During the heated argument between his mothers over the rent issue, he got up and left claiming that he needed air and walked off.
As he walked, he thought about his life's direction. Most kids his age were applying or have already applied to college. As much as he loved school, he just didn't feel like that was what was destined for him. Henry was so consumed in thought that he found himself meandering down a neighborhood close to Storybrooke's main street. When he finally stopped, he looked up and realized where his feet had subconsciously led him to. His grandfather's sealed Victorian house.
His curiosity got the best of him and he attempted to walk up the stairs. How coincidental it was, that his parents would argue about rent, when he already had property that he inherited. It was right in front of him. Would today be the day that he could live in the infamous house of his powerful grandfather? Henry moved forward, but after he reached the top step he was immediately repelled backwards onto the lawn.
"Not yet," said Henry to himself as he gasped for air. Henry's sudden fall to the ground knocked the wind out of him, "huh, grandpa?"
He gathered himself, dusting off the grass and dirt from his pants when he noticed the time on his wrist-watch. He was late for work. "Shoot!"
In a cloud of magical dust he disappeared from the neighborhood and reappeared by Granny's running into the diner from the back side. When he entered the establishment he magically changed his attire to his work uniform and went straight to the backroom to clock in. Without batting an eye or looking at Henry sneaking in, Granny called from the kitchen, "You're late again, Henry."
"I know, I know," Henry replied sheepishly as he slipped on his server's apron. "It won't happen again."
"See that it doesn't. Tables four and five both are both waiting on their burgers," she said while handing the two plates off to Henry to deliver.
The evening progressed and it was time to transition the café from lunch to dinner. Henry busied himself wiping down the tables and replaced the paper placemats for white tablecloths. It was a slow night. Mostly take-outs. So it was of no surprise when he saw Emma enter the diner. Henry was sweeping the floor when Emma walked in and up to him.
"Hey kid. How's work?"
"Slow," Henry remarked as he swept around the bar stool his mother hovered over.
"How about some service, then?" she said cheekily.
Henry smiled and paused in his sweeping, "What would you like?"
"Two hot cocoas with cinnamon and ten minutes of your time."
"I don't know, that sounds like a fairly large order," Henry said sarcastically. He turned to Ruby who was eavesdropping on the conversation and replied with a nod, "Go on your ten. I'll cover you."
Henry quickly made their hot chocolates and brought them to his mother who was sitting and waiting by the bay window towards the front of the diner. From where he sat, he had a clear view of Main Street as well as the library.
"Have you and Regina stopped arguing yet?" Henry asked initiating the dialogue.
"For the time being… I think I won my case to the family."
"So, is everyone happy again?"
"Everyone," nodded Emma slowly, "except you."
"I'm happy."
"Are you?" Emma asked, giving Henry that probing stare. His response was too quick to be earnest. Henry tried to avoid her gaze. He could tell whenever she was using her super powers. It was obvious that Henry was beating around the bush and she wanted to get to the heart of the matter.
"I don't know what I want to do, Mom." Henry sighed as he stared down at his cup of cocoa. He began tracing the rim of the cup with his forefinger and continued, "I'm learning a lot by working at Granny's but… I feel like there's more to me than this."
"Well, what about college? The last time we talked about that you sort of grunted and nodded. I was never really sure what you thought about it."
He looked back up at his mother and said, "College… Granny's… they're just not for me."
"Ok. Then what will make Henry happy?"
"Seeing my family together and happy."
"Not all families are happy and none can be happy all the time."
"I know, I know. It's impossible. It's just… whenever I see you and Regina fight… it kind of breaks my heart. Maybe I should just get an apartment to myself."
"Oh," Emma said with surprise. The conversation had suddenly taken a turn she wasn't expecting. "You ready to move out already?"
"Well, I need to be fair to both you and Regina. The argument over paying rent… I see the value over both sides. Not that I'm truly leaving the nest… I just want to show that I can be responsible and self-reliant."
"Ok," nodded Emma, understanding Henry's reasoning.
Henry continued, "I also want to find my purpose. I want to know what my happy ending is."
"I would imagine that a happy ending is doing whatever it is that makes you happy."
"Mom, I have a secret. Well, more like a confession." Emma leaned in giving her undivided attention towards her son. "Magic makes me happy, but I feel like I need more direction with it. A task… project… something to focus on. I know that with magic I can help people find their happiness, but I also know that with magic it all comes at price."
"It sounds to me like you already know what you want to do," she remarked with a grin. She got up from the table and kissed Henry on the head. She pulled out her wallet and placed a ten dollar bill on the table. "I'll see you when you get home. We can talk about finding your own apartment later."
Henry smiled as Emma left the diner. Just as she closed the door he saw through the blinds of the bay window his grandfather's pawn shop. He felt ready. He couldn't explain or justify his intuition, but an urge compelled him to try and open his grandfather's shop again. Something about tonight felt different than the other nights. The events over the past few years; Gold and Belle moving to live happily ever after, his birthday, his mothers' happy marriages, his graduation, his magical readiness and thirst to know more, his purpose and now drive. Things felt like they were clicking and coming together for him.
The diner closed earlier than usual and since Henry had already completed the usual closing tasks he was able to leave early too. Without looking too anxious he waited for Ruby to lock the doors to the diner before faking his walk down to his mother's apartment. Seeing that the coast was clear he quickly turned around and headed straight for the Pawn Shop.
He stopped right in front of the shop's doors and reminisced the days he studied under his grandfather. Whenever Gold taught him a new trick or spell it was never easy and never as he expected. Each magical spell was a challenge to learn. What was the last thing his grandfather said to him before leaving? What enchantment would he have to break besides the blood magic? Henry paused as he tried to place himself in his grandfather's shoes. What was the lesson? What was different about tonight than the previous nights he attempted to do this?
"You're over-thinking magic! Don't think it, feel it!"
He could hear Gold's voice from his lessons echo inside his head. He was thinking way too much about it. He felt confident; confident in magic, his purpose and direction. He felt this incredible need to know more magic and to hell with the cost!
Henry waved his hands over the door and then over the entire building. With a golden shimmer, magic rippled before his eyes from the door's epicenter and in a giant wave the shimmer disappeared from around the shop. He heard a soft click from the door's lock as if it had just been released from a freezing spell. Henry smiled with awe and excitement as he reached for the doorknob. He placed his hand on the knob and instantly felt the metal burn and quickly cool beneath his skin. It was an incredibly odd sensation, but figured it was the blood magic simply identifying the rightful owner. Henry turned the knob with ease and opened the door.
… …
Ever since Henry discovered he could enter Gold's Pawn Shop, the whole town seemed to buzz with activity and interest. Unfortunately, that also meant that Henry was bombarded with people coming to reclaim their once taken items from Rumplestiltskin. Henry became so overwhelmed by the people flocking to the shop that he was forced to close it until he had reinforcement. It was then that Regina decided to call a town meeting.
At the town hall, Regina initiated the meeting while Emma monitored.
"Alright, everybody settle down," called out Regina to the audience from the podium's microphone as everybody in the room took their seats, "As we all know, Henry was able to access the Pawn Shop again. Let it be known that Henry is now the legal owner of the shop and is now the guardian of all the contents within."
"None of the stuff in there belongs to him!" called out one citizen.
"Yeah, we have every right to retrieve what's ours!" called out another.
"I understand that, however, it will be handled and run accordingly in an organized fashion by Henry. He has, as you see on the table down in front of me, created a schedule. That sign-up sheet will be time devoted to you, handling each of your situations one case at a time. You may sign up for your time when this meeting is adjourned." At Regina's response everyone groaned and settled further down into their seats to hear the rest of the meeting. "The other announcement that needed to be addressed is the issue in regards to Henry's pocket-watch, which has not been found yet. For the record, we still are searching for it. In the meantime, I am proud to announce Storybrooke's Transportation Charter. In the events that the pocket-watch is found and we are able to transport you to and from Storybrooke, there will be applications available to apply for a Realm Passport. Now, there will be a fee-"
As soon as Regina mentioned the cost, the audience broke into an immediate uproar. Outraged over the idea, people from within the crowd booed her, "A curse you casted!"
Another man stood up and shouted, "We shouldn't have to pay for something you did!"
"The fee isn't-, if you would just calm down and listen!" Regina tried to reason, unable to complete a full sentence.
Emma went through the crowd yelling at the multiple people who were standing up to sit down, but it was no use. A riot was beginning to form and it was on the precipice of total anarchy. Henry couldn't even hear himself think. Something had to be done and he couldn't sit idly by and watch his own mother be swallowed up by the town. Suddenly Henry stood up and casted a silencing charm among the townsfolk. The uproar went from stadium loud to deafening silent within seconds. People looked about themselves clutching at their throats wondering why they couldn't speak. Before anyone could look up to Regina to blame for their powerless voices Henry placed himself between her and the mob and called to the mutinous audience, "Please, calm down! If everyone could please have a seat I'll give you back your voices!"
Once the rioters saw Henry with his hands up in the air, they backed off from their threatening positions toward Regina and sat down in the seats again. As soon as he saw everyone in the room take their seats again he waved his hands and their voices were restored. Some coughing and soft murmurs were heard within the crowd, but soon enough it was quiet for Henry to justify his actions and plead his case.
"Look, I agree. You shouldn't have to pay for a curse that was bestowed upon you all, but Storybrooke is no longer cursed. I want to help find whatever it is that makes you happy, but just as you all deserve yours, I deserve one as well and it's right here in Storybrooke. Storybrooke is my home! It's all I've ever known, really. This is where my happiness is and if anyone ever took that away from me, well I'd be just as angry as you all are. For a good majority of us, we have lived here for so long that we've already established roots here. Some of our livelihoods are even anchored here. I'm sorry I haven't been able to find the pocket-watch, but I will make a deal-"
He caught himself sounding like his grandfather and immediately changed his rhetoric, "No, a promise. As soon as I find the pocket-watch, I will do everything in my power to find your happy endings. Every one of you. But you must ask yourself, where will you find your happiness? For some, it's here in Storybrooke. For others, it's back in the Enchanted Forest. The tax, from my understanding of it, is to offset the costs for any potential damages caused in Storybrooke as a result of bringing something back from another world. The taxes on the passports are for those who plan on traveling to and from Storybrooke. I'm even applying for one. For those of you who want to leave Storybrooke forever, there will be no cost to you because I will be the one who will personally deliver you home. However, once you leave you cannot come back without a passport."
People within the audience seemed to look at each other with satisfaction as they talked quietly amongst themselves. Henry tried to gauge the crowd's silent reaction to his offer. Seeing that there were no objections, he turned to his mother behind the podium and whispered, "Am I missing anything? Should I mention anything else?"
Surprised and impressed by Henry's initiative and leadership skills, she said with a pleased smile, "Nope. That about sums it up. Though, you should direct the community to come meet you down center stage to sign-up for appointments to see you at the shop."
Henry turned back to the crowd and announced, "Please come down to the table here and sign-up for your appointments with me at the shop. I would love to meet each and every one of you."
"On that note," Regina said into the microphone, "Meeting is adjourned."
Chapter 10 guys! Woohoo!
I'm actually kind of proud of this chapter. I always knew Henry had a certain charm and way with people. I favor this chapter in particular because it showcases his maturity and leadership. I was initially going to cut the chapter off when he opened the Pawn Shop door, but I felt that the town meeting needed to be addressed immediately after.
I know I've been slowly publishing chapters, but I'm still writing the story and haven't completed it yet. Again, thank you so much for your patience. I hope it pays off in the end. Thank you to Imusicluver23, ladybugsmomma, Grace5231973, and Montreat11 for your endearing comments and reviews. You guys are seriously the best.