Holy reviews, Batman! That's fantastic! I'm absolutely THRILLED by them and the fact that you are enjoying the new story! Woohoo! :D please keep reviewing! I'll try and update as fast as I can but summer time is a busy time for me! I'll probably be bringing in David in the fourth chapter :)

And happy Canada Day to myself and my fellow Canadians!

Henry woke up with a heavy warm blanket around him and when he took a deep breath and nuzzled his head in deeper he found that the smell he inhaled was his mother's and the pillow he was burying his face into was actually her chest. He laid there comfortably for a long while before he opened his eyes and was unable to recognize his surroundings. And then he remembered.

He remembered that he wasn't home in his mother's arms but was in fact in the Enchanted Forest in the arms of the Evil Queen. So he wound his arms a little tighter and pushed his head in a little more. The movement had her waking up and by the way she tensed and inhaled a little sharply he was led to believe she was trying to remember what was happening as well. "Good morning, mum," he greeted with a yawn and then tilted his head back to look up at her.

Regina furrowed her brow a little and blinked down at the boy, "good morning."

"What are we gonna do today?"

"I don't know."

"Well what were you going to do before I came?"

"I was going to put Snow White under a sleeping curse," she answered plainly and Henry laughed quietly and repositioned himself so he laid more on his stomach and his chin rested on her breasts while his arms remained wrapped around her middle. It was still beyond her comprehension as to how this boy was so comfortable in her presence.

"Well I'm not gonna let you do that," he laughed and shook his head while he watched as her eyes flicked around over his face in her attempt to make sense of him.

"Well then what am I to do with her?"

Henry shrugged and his lips formed a simple line, "leave her be?"

"No."

He laughed quietly at her sharp and hot tempered reply and she squinted her eyes, "just put it off for a little while. See if I can change your mind."

"And what am I to do with Charming? Leave him to rot in my dungeon?"

"Um...well...you could let him out? You could actually probably get him on your side if you give him just a glimpse of who you can be," he smiled enthusiastically and she cocked her head irritably.

"Oh? And who can I be?" She snapped and he frowned but she kept her hard stare.

He frowned because she was so much more ill tempered in this area of time and so unable to trust anyone at all. So he gave her simple honesty, "kind, loving, gentle, fun, protective, and happy. You can still be strong and clever and powerful and stuff but you can be so much more too," he smiled and her jaw relaxed enough for her red lips to part almost unnoticeably, "you can be you and you can be happy being you."

...

"What are you doing, dearie?" He chimed irritably with his fingers waving up around his head as he walked up to her after materializing in her hallway and fell in step behind her.

"I suppose you could say I'm exploring other options," she deadpanned and continued forward unfazed by his sudden appearance.

"Other options for what?" He clenched his jaw and gave his head a sharp tilt.

"Just other options."

"Yes, well, as curious as I may be about these other options you speak of, I am not curious enough to allow you to continue after them."

Regina shot him an unimpressed look over her shoulder before straightening her neck, "dear, dear, Rumple I have things to do. Is there something you need from me?"

He opened his mouth to give an answer but was cut off by a new voice.

"Whoa!" Henry blurted out and then chuckled quietly to himself when he stepped out of his room and laid eyes on Rumplestiltskin, "Mr Gold?! You look so...different and...what is up with your skin?"

Rumple rocked his weight back on one foot and pointed at the child, "who is this?"

Biting her tongue to keep herself from laughing at Henry's reaction, Regina nodded in his direction, "other options."

Henry walked closer and studied him up close. His eyes were strange and his skin looked as though it had gold flakes on it. And it was sort of green. And his hands were weird and his nails were weird. He had never seen anyone wear so much leather at once. Not even Hook, "so this is what you look like as The Dark One...huh. I think I much prefer you as Storybrooke's pawn broker."

"What are you talking about? Who are you?"

"I'm Henry," he grinned up at him and rocked on his heels and toes as her clasped his hands behind his back, "I'm from the future and I fell through a portal back in time or something like that."

"Did you now?" Rumple grinned coldly and nodded once in sharp movements and the boy merely nodded his head, "and how did you end up here in the clutches of the queen?"

"Well I want to be here if that's what you're asking."

"Oh? And why is that?"

Henry said nothing in reply and instead flicked his eyes to herself in a silent question as to whether or not she wanted Rumplestiltskin to know, "he is claiming to be my son," she supplied and Henry smiled at her and then looked back to Rumple.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" He let out a shrill laugh with his words and took a step closer to the boy, "you are not from the future."

"Yes I am."

"Then prove it," he hissed as he leaned down to the boy.

"How?"

"Tell me something."

"Uh okay. How about Baelfire," he offered and Rumple went instantly still and watched him with intense unblinking eyes, "he is your motivation for manipulating my mum in to enacting the dark curse for you because you can't do it yourself. After the curse breaks you go and find him and while the two of you aren't exactly the best of friends you are trying," at the doubtful squinting of Rumple's eyes, Henry continued, "too far ahead in time? I guess cause you haven't seen that far yet yourself. Okay so how about my mum's execution that Snow calls off at quite literally the last second? Right before the arrows pierce her heart. You then help enact a protection spell for Snow and David so that my mum can't hurt them in this land anymore but the catch to that spell was that she can hurt them in other lands which is what led her to enact the dark curse.

Or how about when Snow and David trap you with squid ink and lock you in a special cell? I mean you're there cause you want to be there so you can let the other pieces fall in to place. As well as learn the name of Snow and David's baby because she is the one that will break the dark curse after her twenty eighth birthday and will then allow you to search for Baelfire in that land without magic."

"Impossible," he growled through his teeth and looked him up and down.

"Not really though because I am here."

"Get rid of him."

"Well I am trying to find him a way back home. And what is this about manipulating me to enact this dark curse?"

"Never mind that, dearie!" He snapped furiously with a higher pitch to his tone as he stared down the boy and waved a careless hand in her direction. "Get rid of him," he nodded and the boy stared right back with only a mere flicker of nervousness, "or I will."

Regina smiled bitterly at him behind his back but she was rather impressed that Henry did not back down, didn't even blink, at Rumple's threat. When the imp disappeared Henry looked to her with a happy expression and took a step closer to her with his hands behind his back, "well aren't you just a bundle of information."

Henry chuckled in reply and she allowed a small smile to brighten her features, "pretty sure you're smarter though."

Regina let out a quiet laugh and gave a shake of her head before she started walking again and Henry turned on his heels and walked right beside her, "you said Rumple is manipulating me to enact a curse," she inquired and he nodded in confirmation, "I do not like being manipulated."

"Well I think I have an easy fix for that!"

"Oh?"

"We just need to find you love!" He grinned and she looked down at him entirely unimpressed and irritated, "seriously! If you find love in someone you'll be willing to fight for him and he'll be ready to fight for you! There will be no reason for you to spiral so far down that you enact the dark curse and you will be strong enough to stand up against Rumplestiltskin and plus you'll have a perfect support system! It can't go wrong!"

"Henry I don't want love."

"That's a lie and we both know it!" He protested and her expression flickered dangerously.

"Love is weakness."

"Love is strength."

"Henry-"

"You taught me that," he pressed firmly and she clenched her jaw in irritation, "you've had a rough go of things, I know that. But you do come to the conclusion that Cora was wrong," he nodded and the queen straightened her neck and looked ahead of them at the mention of her mother, "I'm not asking you to throw a party for possible suitors," he chuckled quietly and she grew more irritable, "I just think you should open your heart to the possibility that you can find love again."

"And who could love me?" She snapped harshly.

"I don't know," he shrugged and then looked up at her and ducked his head a little to give her the higher ground, "but I will always love you. And that is a start."

-Storybrooke, the day before-

"Henry!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, not caring how it sounded. Her heart suddenly lurching out of her chest in terror as she watched her son fall in to a portal screaming for her as she ran toward him as fast as she could. "Henry!" She screamed again but she was too late. She dove for him, her hand outstretched for him but it hit the pavement and the portal snapped shut without her. "No," she whispered and stared at the concrete sidewalk with wide frantic eyes that darted everywhere over the rough grey surface. "No," she said a little louder and felt the tears burn in her eyes and her heart ache in her throat, "no, no, no, no!"

"Regina!"

"No, no!" She shook her head and tried to dig at the concrete with her nails only to move on to hitting the sides of her tight fists against it, "no!"

"Regina," David panted as he dropped down next to her but she ignored him and beat her fists once more against the concrete before they stilled there and she started crying quietly, "please tell me you at least know where he went," he pleaded and got his answer when she let out another cry that shook her shoulders as she slowly dropped down forward and rested her forehead on her loose fists against the sidewalk.

"Shit," he breathed out and rubbed his hands over his face while his mind went wild in search of a resolution to this ordeal. He had nothing. He placed a comforting hand on her back and rubbed it slowly up and down her arched back while she cried. He had no real words of comfort but he was trying to reassure himself as well that he did not just lose Henry forever too, "he'll be alright, we'll get him back."

Regina shook her head against her hands and then sat up slowly, David's hand moving from her back up to her shoulders and neck. "There are an infinite amount of worlds out there, David," she shook her head and swallowed and sniffed her tears back, "we are not going to be able to find him. Henry needs to come back here," she whispered, her features twisted in pain and loss as she looked up to David.

He stared at her for a little while with his hand on the back of her neck with his thumb moving slowly. Then he started shaking his head, "no...no! No there has to be a way to get to him!" He protested and felt a little bit of panic seep in to his chest.

Regina simply shook her head and pushed her shaking hands through her hair as she stood up, afraid to speak when sharp cries could come out instead.

"Regina!" He called as he pushed himself up and hurried up to her side, "where are you going?"

"To find Gold," she stated with a little more strength to her voice and barely swallowed back a sob but she could do nothing for the tears rolling down her cheeks. She couldn't lose Henry. She couldn't lose her little boy. Not Henry. Not him too. She closed her eyes in a long blink and after a few of her hurried strides she noticed that David's steps were still right beside her, "where do you think you're going?"

"I'm following you."

-Enchanted Forest, present day-

"I don't know what to do with you."

"Feed me, pet me, let me out to run around every now and then," Henry grinned and laughed through his teeth as Regina bit back a smile and a laugh.

"Pet you," she laughed under her breath and shook her head in amusement as he laughed a little louder while he reached forward and snatched up an apple from the table and took a bite, "how do you know that one isn't poisoned?"

Henry laughed at her teasing tone and swallowed his bite, "cause you like me," he grinned and took another bite, "besides," he shrugged and then swallowed, "you totally put me under a sleeping curse already. Or later I guess."

"I what?"

"I was being annoying and you were tired of me," he stated simply and then burst in to laughter when her eyes opened wide in shock, "I'm just kidding! It was an accident and it messed you up for quite awhile. I wasn't under it for very long. Just overnight," he shrugged with a smile and took another bite of his apple. She simply let out a slow huff of air from her nose with a shake of her head and dropped her eyes to the table. "So. What are we going to do today?"

"Get you some proper clothes."

"Cool!" He grinned and wiggled in his chair a little with his excitement, "hey. What day is it?"

"Thursday."

"Okay but like what is the date?" Henry chuckled and moved his hands.

"The last day of January."

"Really? It's so nice out."

"It's been a rather tame winter. I expect it will snow again soon before spring comes."

...

"Can you teach me how to ride?"

Regina nodded as she watched her seamstresses take the boy's measurements, "well I'm not very well going to have an incapable biped shadowing me."

Henry chuckled and watched the seamstress measure the length of his arm, "you could have just said 'yes'," she didn't say anything in return and she was behind him so he couldn't see her expression, "what about how to use a sword? Or a bow?"

"If you wish to use a sword I can set you up with my black guard. If you wish to use a bow you have the choice between my black guard or myself."

"Awesome," he grinned madly, giddy with the knowledge that he had such things at his disposal, "and what about David?"

"What about him?"

"Are you going to let him out?"

"Not today."

Henry smiled to himself and swallowed a happy laugh. It wasn't a flat out 'no', it was a 'stick a pin in it so we can come back to it' kind of answer and in his mind that was progress. "So the news of me living here is going to spread like wildfire isn't it?"

"I don't imagine so, no."

"Why not?"

"Because my hired hands do not speak of what happens here unless they wish a shorter life upon themselves," she stated plainly and flashed her dark eyes to the seamstress now measuring the boy's shoulders.

Henry watched the seamstress maneuver around him and cocked his head at her as she worked undeterred by the queen's words. It was going to take him some time to get used to her in this time period.

...

"So you are from the future?"

"Yes. Well...no...sort of..."

"Pick an answer."

"My mum-you thirtyish years from now-told me that there are rules to magic. Can't make someone love you, can't bring someone back from the dead, and can't change the past."

"Correct."

"So time travel is sort of impossible. Plus I'm still here. If I were changing things I don't think I'd still exist because my family tree is kind of whacked and nudging one piece of the timeline out of place would screw everything up. So I don't think I went back in time. I think I fell in to a parallel world of sorts. One that's really really really close in comparison to the one I'm from."

"Hmm," Regina hummed shortly in thought as she took in his logic while he got dressed on the other side of the intricately carved wooden partition. "How old are you, Henry?"

"Eleven."

Regina nodded as he stepped from around the wood and stood before her, tugging the leather vest so it sat straight. She stood up and looked him up and down and he stood entirely relaxed and played with the white linen loosely clothing his arms and close around his wrists as she walked a circle around him. "You are a scrawny little thing," she stated and he laughed and looked up at her with a smile. She met his eye for a moment but then looked back to his clothing and ran a hand through his hair and she was warmed to see he didn't so much as flinch at the contact and instead grinned happily up at her.

"Hmm," she hummed shortly once more and then walked away from him and he easily fell in step beside her. Something she still was not remotely used to and found very hard to wrap her head around.

"These clothes are awesome," he laughed quietly and stuck his arms out on either side of him as he looked down at his brown leather vest with a wide belt around his middle and then watched his feet as he walked in new brown leather boots.

Regina couldn't help the smile that crept on to her mouth as she watched him enjoy himself in her company. "There will be plenty more throughout your stay here," she nodded and he looked up at her happily.

"Awesome!" He grinned and laughed as he put a skip in his step and her smile became a little easier, "will you teach me how to use a bow?!"

Regina gave a soft huff of air out her nose in a silent laugh at his enthusiasm and nodded once, "I can get you started but I have other things I must attend to."

"Things like David?"

"No."

"Things like levelling villages?"

"No."

"Things like putting Snow under a curse?"

"No."

"Cool," he grinned up at her and she shook her head at him and twitched her eyebrows up a little as she straightened her neck to look ahead of her. He laughed under his breath to himself and her dark eyes flicked down to him but her head didn't move. Then he stepped in to her side and wrapped his arms around her waist and her arms went up while her strong steps faltered a little. He smiled at the way she tensed and tried to figure out what to do. Back in Storybrooke she would have leapt at the chance to hold him close and hold him tight.

But here she didn't know how.

"I'm glad you found me on the road and let me stay."