Thicker than Water Part II

by Sara K M

Sequel to the original Thicker than Water. The Charmings' have found each other (again), after Storybrooke was destroyed. Now they face even more challenges as they adjust to life in the real world. Pairings: Mostly Snowing and also minor Abirick. Eventual Captain Swan and Red/OC

21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty – One

Disclaimers: I don't own Once Upon a Time. Also, this is a sequel to the original "Thicker than Water" written by La Lisboa.

I'd like to thank Lisboa for betaing and for letting me use her story as a starting point.

Trigger Warning: Sexual assault scene in this chapter.

Henry, Snow, and David went to several different stores the next day to look for Henry's costume. Snow's first idea was that he could go as a chef. "I have an apron you can borrow, and we'll just buy you a chef's hat to go with it," she told him.

But Henry shook his head vigorously. "No! That's what I meant before about not making something too girly."

David looked at Snow's hurt expression. She was a little sensitive these days, because Emma was still shutting her out. "Henry – " he began, trying to explain that he'd hurt Snow's feelings.

"I mean, cooking with you last week was fun," he added, obviously understanding what David had meant. He was a really perceptive boy. "But wearing a chef's costume; it's just not…cool, you know?"

David was a little confused about what Henry meant when he said "cool." He was pretty sure it didn't have anything to do with the weather. But he did understand that Henry didn't want to wear a chef's outfit. "Okay, Henry, we'll think of something else."

"How about one of these?" Snow showed Henry some ready – made costumes of different creatures. One was something called Batman, and another was something called Spiderman. David hoped Henry wasn't interested in those, either. They looked like they might be bad guys. He really didn't want his grandson dressed up as a bad guy. But it was up to Henry, David supposed.

Fortunately, Henry shook his head. "No, those costumes are too complicated. I'm still not sure I'm going to use it, remember."

Snow and David nodded. Henry seemed to be getting excited about finding a costume. It was easy to forget he still had mixed feelings about attending the party. But Snow shrugged. "Making a costume like that, or buying it ready – made, would probably cost too much for us, anyway."

Henry nodded. "Maybe we should try one of those second – hand stores, like the one where we bought outfits for your wedding."

"Sounds like a good idea, Henry," David agreed. He smiled as they boarded the bus to go to the next store. It was really nice to spend the day with Henry and Snow. For the first time in several days, Snow was smiling as she tried to help Henry pick out a costume. It was good for her to feel like she could help Henry, David knew. He loved to see her happy again.

Especially since Emma still didn't want to talk to them very much. She was spending the afternoon at Red's again. Honestly, David liked feeling like he was helping Henry as well. He understood better than Snow did that Emma wasn't ready to talk to them about whatever her problem was. He remembered how sometimes he would rather talk to the local village boys than his mother about a problem. David also had experience with waiting for a woman to trust him enough to want to talk about her problems before. (Snow was pretty – tight lipped about some things until they were married.) So David understood they would need to wait until Emma was ready to talk to them. If Red was helping her in the meantime, he was grateful. Still, understanding why Emma was pushing them away didn't make it hurt any less. David wanted to be the one to help Emma with her problems, just like Snow. That was why it was so nice that Henry wanted both their help in picking out a costume.

"This is kind of cool!" Henry exclaimed, picking up a light brown hat. "It's a fishing hat. I could go to the party as a fisherman, I suppose. I mean, if I decide to go."

David picked up the hat and inspected it. "Is this what people wear when they're fishing in this world?"

Henry shrugged. "Some of them do."

"I used to fish sometimes, in our world. It was a way to get food when we ran out of lamb or vegetables."

Henry looked at David and then at the hat again. "Then I think that's what I'd like to go as. I'd need a vest, too, if we can find one."

Snow and David nodded. "Okay, then let's look for a vest," Snow replied cheerfully. They began looking through the clothes.

But before they found a fishing vest for Henry, David discovered something else. It was a grey, cotton blanket. With a few adjustments, it would look exactly like the one he wore as a shepherd. He wrapped it around himself, grinning. "What do you think, Snow?" At Snow's blank look, David explained, "It's like the one I used to have, when I lived on the farm." He chuckled. "It's too bad we're not going to your costume party, Henry. I could go as a shepherd. That would be kind of fun."

Henry shrugged, and continued looking for a fishing vest.

Snow looked at the grey cloak. "I've never really seen the shepherd look on you. It looks kind of nice."

Just then Henry found something he said could pass for a fishing vest. He also found what he called an old – fashioned woman's dress. (To David, it just looked like something his mother would have worn.) "You could wear this, Grandma. To go with Grandpa's shepherd outfit."

Snow picked up the dress and looked at it for a minute. "But we're not going to the costume party, Henry. You are, remember?"

Henry shrugged. "I might, and I might not. I still haven't decided how I feel about it. But if I decide not to, I'd still like to have a costume, for another party maybe. I think you should have costumes, too."

David and Snow shrugged and bought the outfits Henry suggested. They hadn't planned on spending the extra money on costumes for themselves, but they just couldn't say no to Henry's happy expression. Especially since nothing they did recently seemed to make Emma happy.

OOOOOOOOO

Henry and Snow spent the next few days making something called a "tackle box" out of an old box they had lying around. Henry insisted he would need it for his costume as well. For someone who still insisted he wasn't sure if he were going to the party, Henry was really enjoying making his costume. David liked to think it was because Henry liked spending time with Snow.

"And then we'll cover it with brown paper," Henry was saying as they pasted the box together. Snow nodded, glowing with happiness as she got out the brown paper they had bought for this project.

David smiled to himself from the background. He had recently found an old branch near the dairy farm that he could use as a herding stick for his shepherd outfit. David remembered the first time his mother had handed him the herding stick. Actually, he was in the process of writing this story for Henry's book, after Henry went to bed. He couldn't have been more than six or seven. His father had been dead for about three years at that point. Mother had been hiring another nearby villager to take care of their sheep. But that day she approached David and said, "You're getting to be a big boy now, David. I think you should take care of the sheep instead of hiring someone else. Would you do that for me?"

David had stood as straight as he could, trying to look tall and strong. He loved that his mother thought he was old enough to take care of their precious sheep. "I will, Mother." Knowing what he knew now, David was pretty sure his mother couldn't afford to hire someone else to herd the sheep anymore. But at the time, all David understood was his mother was telling him he was a big boy.

"Okay, but remember, don't get lost. Follow the moss on the tress, like I taught you, okay?"

"Of course, mother." David remembered how his mother had explained to him that moss only grows on the north side of trees.

"And watch out for bigger animals. Wolves are especially fond of sheep!"

David nodded eagerly. "I will protect the sheep, Mother. I promise."

With that, his mother handed him the herding stick. "It's the one your father used," she told him.

David's eyes widened as he looked at the stick again. He was holding something his father had used? Something his father used every day until he died? Taking care of the sheep and using this herding stick suddenly became even more important than it already was. "I promise, Mother. I'll take care of the stick and the sheep. I'll make you and Father proud!"

His mother hugged him. "I know you will, David."

So he set out, herding the sheep carefully with the special stick, so they would go in the right direction. For a couple of hours, there were no problems. The sheep ate plenty of grass. David watched all the sheep and made sure they stayed together with his father's stick. He was also careful to look for the tree moss, so he could figure out where he was.

Then suddenly, as David and the sheep were heading back to the farm, he heard it. A wolf's howl. And another. David gulped, but he had promised his mother he would protect the sheep from wolves. So he began moving the sheep through the forests and meadows as quickly as he could, hoping they could out run the wolves.

Unfortunately, the wolves were good runners. Much better at running than David would ever be. So as hard as David tried to protect the sheep, eventually the wolves caught up to them. But David knew he must protect the sheep. He'd promised his mother. He wanted to make Father proud, watching from above. So David grabbed the only weapon he could. He began throwing rocks at the wolves as he continued running. It turned out he wasn't as fast as the wolves, but he had pretty good aim. Apparently some of them couldn't walk very well after that.

When David finally stopped running, however, he realized he'd forgotten to watch the tree moss. He was lost. But he took a deep breath and began looking for more. He needed to get these sheep home, after all. He'd promised his mother he'd take care of the sheep. It was becoming dark but David felt around several trees until he found the moss. Then he finally herded the sheep home. He was even able to hold on to the herding stick the whole time.

"David!" his mother exclaimed as he and the sheep finally arrived back. "I was getting worried! Are you okay?"

"I had to fight the wolves Mother, but the sheep are fine! I protected them, like you asked me. Like Father would do!" He held up the herding stick as all the sheep returned to their pen. "I'm just like Father!"

Mother shook her head. "I'm glad you protected the sheep and defeated the wolves, David, but you worried me. The wolves could have attacked you. And then where would I be? Your father is dead, but I still have you. But if I lost you, too...Next time maybe you can think of a better way to defeat the wolves rather than attacking them.'

David nodded, wondering what he could do about the wolves that tried to attack his sheep. Besides throwing rocks, that is. Eventually, he came up with the idea of setting traps large enough to capture wolves. It turned out those traps were large enough to capture bandit princesses, as well, David thought to himself as he watched Snow write her own childhood story. They agreed to read each other's when they were finished. He looked forward to it. Things were less dangerous after that. But he continued to use the same herding stick, until he left the farm. David shook his head as he looked at the text on the page. There was a big part of him that really wished still had that herding stick with him today. It was the only piece he'd had left of his father, after all. But, really, it didn't matter. What mattered was the family he had now. Snow, Emma, and Henry. It was nice he had a new herding stick, though.

OOOOOOOOOO

Snow finished her childhood story a few days later. "Here," she commented, handing the story to David that night. "I told you that you could read this when I was done." It appeared to be the one she had talked about writing last week. The story of how she snuck into the palace kitchen as a teenager and learned to cook.

He smiled at her tenderly and replied, "You can read mine, too." With that he handed her his shepherd story. Then he sat down to read Snow's kitchen story.

Snow White had been listening to Regina yell at her all morning. Again. The fourteen year – old couldn't understand why a woman who was so kind when they had met never even smiled at her these days. It was "Don't forget your lessons, Snow. Sit up straight, Snow. No, you can't go with me, Snow. Stop running around, Snow."

So that afternoon, Snow decided she would do something different. Something Regina would never agree to (because it wasn't becoming of a proper princess), but Snow found very interesting. She crept into the palace kitchens. How the chef knew exactly what to put into the bowls to mix, the pots to cook, and the pans to bake had interested her for a long time.

When she was younger, Snow figured it was just what bakers were supposed to do. Just as she was supposed to be a royal. But as she got older, she wasn't so sure it was that simple. After all, Regina didn't act like a mother, even though she was supposed to be her mother. So how did the chefs know how to cook?

Snow watched the chefs cook from the corner of the large room for three days without being seen. It was, after all, a very large kitchen. Snow also realized she had a talent for staying quiet when she wanted to. Finally, however, Regina caught her one afternoon. "Snow!" she exclaimed, grapping her by the arm and dragging her out of the kitchen. "This isn't a place for a princess! You are supposed to be studying! Now to the library! Now!" With that, her stepmother gave her a firm slap on the wrist.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty, I had no idea she was there!" the chef called out from the kitchen. "If I had known, I would have sent her out immediately!" But the next afternoon, Snow returned to her hiding place in the kitchen to watch again.

For the next few months the cycle continued. She would get caught, get yelled at, Regina would slap her, and the chef would promise that Snow would never be in the kitchen again. Then the next day, Snow would hide in the kitchen again. This way she learned how to make ham with blueberry sauce, homemade bread, chicken with spices, stuffing, and several different kinds of cakes.

Eventually, Snow grew confident in her cooking abilities. Instead of hiding in the kitchen, she would sneak down to the palace kitchen and try her own recipes. That was where she came up with the idea of putting cinnamon in her hot chocolate. This practice continued until she was exiled from the palace.

David grinned as he stopped reading the story. That was his Snow. Sneaking around and poking into everything, even when she was only a teenager. It also explained why she never let their palace chefs deter her from cooking in the kitchen. She had never let it bother her before, after all. He put the story down and looked back at her. "Some things never change, huh? Sneaking around, doing exactly what you wanted to do, no matter what anyone else said. That's my Snow." He caressed her check with the last line.

Snow smiled at him. "Yeah." Then she shrugged. "I guess being a shepherd was really important to you, huh?" She held up his story as she put it away.

David shrugged. "Yeah. I'm glad I can work with animals again, at least."

Snow nodded.

OOOOOOOOOO

Thursday evening, David received a call from Abigail on his communication device. He thought it was kind of strange that Abigail would call him, but he supposed they did consider each other friends. He was really glad Snow's problem with her had been cleared up a few weeks ago, though. If David thought Snow was upset in any way about Abigail, he'd never talk to her. But Snow had told both him and Emma that she considered Abigail a friend, now. She had even suggested to Emma that Abigail paint the pictures for the book they were all making for Henry.

So David answered his communication device with a cheerful, "Hello! Is there something I can help you with, Abigail?"

"Yes, James – or David. Whatever you're calling yourself these days."

David shrugged. "I go by David in this world, but you can call me whatever you're comfortable with, Abigail," he told her. He really liked that most people called him by his real name in this world, but he had gotten used to being called James in the Enchanted Forest. If Abigail would rather call him James, it was okay with him.

"Okay. Well, anyway, I called to ask you a favor."

"Of course, Abigail."

"You see, I got a job at a dress shop in the town."

"That's great! I think that sounds like a great job for you."

"Yeah, I'm enjoying it. But actually…that's the problem. Fredrick is worried about me when I'm in the town by myself. It was okay when he insisted on riding the bus with me. I understand; those buses travel really fast, and he's always been worried about me anyway. But now…he's always hanging around the dress shop when I'm working. It's causing some problems with the customers and with my bosses. Could you talk to him? You seem to be…okay with your wife going to work on her own in this world."

"Yeah, I can see that being a problem. I'll see what I can do. Is he available tonight?" David asked.

"I think so," Abigail replied.

"Okay, I'll try to come by around 9:30. How does that sound?"

"Fine," Abigail replied again. David hung up the communication device. Dinner should be ready soon. He hoped Emma was planning on eating with them tonight. She still spent a lot of time at Red's and talking to Red on the communication device. She was getting a lot better about telling them if she was going to be home later, so he figured she would be home soon. It was nice to see her, at least.

In the meantime, maybe he should check on Henry. It was always a good idea to make sure his grandson was doing his homework.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Emma did come home for dinner that night, although she didn't talk very much. But at least it was something. David would have to make sure Snow knew how much she was still taking care of Emma by cooking her dinners. But in the meantime, he had promised Abigail he would talk to Fredrick. So when they finished supper, he got up and announced, "I promised Abigail I'd talk to Fredrick about something. So I think I'll head over there for a little while."

Snow and Henry nodded.

Emma stood up as well. "I guess I'll come with you. I'd like to talk to Ruby again." David looked at Snow's hurt face. She was still bothered that Emma would rather talk and spend time with Red than them. It bothered David too, actually. But David still believed it was best to wait until Emma was ready to talk to them. At least she was talking to someone, after all.

Snow tried to press again, even though David tried to give Snow a look that showed it was a bad idea. "Maybe I'll come with you guys then. I haven't seen Red in a few weeks. We could have a girl's night or something," Snow's voice sounded forceful, like she wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Unfortunately, Emma wasn't going to take no for an answer, either. "No," she replied firmly. "Absolutely not. The things I'm talking to Ruby about aren't for you to hear. Besides, someone has to look after Henry. He should go to bed soon, after all."

Snow opened her mouth to protest, but then sighed. "Alright. I'll stay with Henry."

David gave Snow's hand a comforting squeeze before they left. They would get through this.

David grabbed something before he left, hopping Henry wouldn't notice it. Then he and Emma caught a city bus and then walked to Red's apartment from the station. Emma made a beeline for Red's bedroom. Meanwhile, David approached Fredrick. "Hi. Could we talk for a while?"

Fredrick nodded. "Of course, James. Abigail mentioned you'd probably come by." Apparently Abigail and Fredrick had decided they would rather call him James. Well, at least he'd gotten used to it.

"Give these to Abigail for me, please," he commented, holding out the few stories he and Snow had written in the last week. "She can use them to paint the illustrations."

Fredrick nodded, happily. "Of course. I'm so glad she's got something to paint again." He went into their room and gave her the pages right away. "She can read them while we talk. So what is it?"

David sighed. "Abigail told me she'd gotten a job at a dress shop in town," he began.

Fredrick nodded. "Yes. She seems to really enjoy it. I think it's a very good job for her, don't you?"

David nodded. "Yes, I do. But she also told me you're causing some problems, Fredrick. Because you're always there while she's working."

Fredrick sighed and shook his head. "Yes, I know she doesn't like it when I do that. But I worry about Abigail, James. I feel like I always need to be ready to protect her, especially in this world, since I don't really know all the rules yet."

David nodded. He understood what Fredrick was saying. In some ways, he felt the same. "I hear what you're saying, friend. I worry about Snow and Emma when I'm not around, too. But, Abigail's actually pretty safe in the shop, you know. There are other employees and her supervisors to watch over her."

Fredrick shook his head. "But they aren't me, though. Who can protect Abigail better than me?"

David sighed. "No one, of course. But sometimes, it's necessary to trust other people, Fredrick. Abigail had to rely on others while you were under the golden curse, after all. So you aren't the only one who can take care of her. Besides, Emma says this world is actually safer, in some ways, than our world. There are no ogres to worry about. No magical villains to encounter. Try to remember that."

Fredrick looked at the floor. "But she still might run into trouble and need me," he protested. "You don't know what it's like to worry all the time." David began to protest at that comment. Of course he knew! But Fredrick held up his hand. "I know you worry about Snow and Emma, too. But Emma knows this world and its rules all ready. And Snow is well – known for being able to take care of herself. It's not the same thing."

David nodded. "Yeah. I know that. But I also know sometimes you just have to have faith in others. You can't keep watching her all the time while she's working, Fredrick. Abigail told me it's causing some problems for the customers and her bosses. If she gets in too much trouble with her bosses, she could get fired, you know."

Fredrick folded his arms across his chest. "They shouldn't have the authority to fire her," he grumbled. "She's a princess."

David sighed. "You and I and our friends know that. But the rest of this world doesn't. I know Abigail will always be your princess. But…you need to stop assuming everyone else is going to treat her like one, Fredrick. To everyone else, she's just a normal woman. Abigail likes this job. She wants to keep it. But in order for that to happen, you have to…let her go a little."

Fredrick looked conflicted on what to do.

"How about a compromise?" David suggested. "Talk to Abigail about riding the bus with her and walking her to the door of the dress shop, at least. But then go home and wait for her shift to be done instead of hanging around the store the whole time. Or if you'd rather stay, you can find another store to look around that might interest you."

Fredrick sighed. "Okay. I'll talk to Abigail about that. Thanks for the talk."

"No problem."

XXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOO

Henry had listened to his classmates talk about the Halloween party on Friday for most of the day.

"…and I found the best Spider – Man costume!" exclaimed George, a kid in Henry's science class. "Wait until you see it!"

"I found a black leotard for my costume," commented Janie, a girl in his math class. "I'm going as black cat."

"What are you going as, Henry?" Teddy asked him at lunch. "I'm going as a pirate."

"I haven't decided yet," Henry replied, because he still hadn't decided if he was going to the party.

But despite himself, he was becoming more and more excited about it. By the end of the day, Henry had pretty much decided he would go to the Halloween Party, after all. Besides, he had really enjoyed picking out his costume with Grandma and Grandpa and making the accessories. "I think I'm going to go to the costume party at my school, after all," he told his family as they ate dinner early. (Mom was working late tonight. They needed more cops out at night because of Halloween.)

Grandma and Grandpa smiled from ear to ear at him. "That's great, Henry! I'm sure you'll have a lot of fun. I remember a costume party I attended once. It was great," Grandpa commented, looking at Grandma. From the look on their faces, Henry was pretty sure it was a costume party they attended together.

Mom nodded. "Okay. That's probably a good idea, Henry." She didn't sound as excited about it as Grandpa and Grandma did, but at least she said he could go. But then Mom looked at Grandpa and Grandma. "I wish he wasn't going by himself, though…I mean I know he'll be okay, but I'm still not used to him being home for good yet. Maybe it's stupid, but I'd rather one of us be with him."

Henry rolled his eyes. It was at the school, for goodness sakes! He was there without his family everyday. "Mom –" he began.

But Grandma turned to Mom, excited. "We could go with him, Emma! The school was asking for chaperones. And Henry had us buy our own costumes, anyway!" Grandpa nodded in agreement to the plan.

Henry looked at Mom and Grandma and Grandpa, bewildered. It was true that he'd had Grandpa and Grandma buy costumes as well last week. And it had been a lot of fun. But them going to his school's party…it wasn't really what he had in mind. It wasn't really cool to come to a school party with your grandparents (even if they looked too young to be grandparents to most people). "Do you really have to come?" he asked them, finally.

Mom looked nervous. Grandma looked hurt. And Grandpa led Henry to the living room to talk for a second. "Look Henry, we know nothing is going to happen to you at the school. But you living at that foster home…it was really hard for your mom." Henry nodded, understanding that. "She may act like everything's okay now, but she's still recovering." Henry nodded again. It made sense. After all, just last week, he was wondering if he would have to return to the foster home again. "And your grandma…she's struggling with Emma, too. It's hard for her to accept that Emma doesn't need or want her all the time. So she likes to do things for her when she can. Humor them, please Henry. It won't really be that bad with us at the party, will it? I promise we won't get too close to your friends."

Henry sighed. "Okay." He and Grandpa returned to the kitchen and sat down to finish dinner. "It's fine if you come to the party with me," he told Grandma.

Mom sighed in relief. "Thank you. Be careful what you say at the party, though," she added to Grandma and Grandpa. "Remember not to talk about the Enchanted Forest or anything."

They nodded. "Of course."

OOOOOOOOOO

Two – and – a – half hours later, Henry got off the city bus dressed as a fisherman. His grandparents were dressed as a shepherd and a shepherdess. "Can you at least let me go in by myself?" he asked as they walked to the school. "You can follow a minute or so afterwards, while I'm still in your sight."

"Okay," Grandpa agreed, holding on to Grandma's hand.

With that Henry smiled and opened the door. Inside, the gym had dimmed lights and lights a disco ball. He could also hear some soft rock music playing in the background. He looked around as he came in, hoping to see someone he knew. It was difficult, as everyone was in a costume and a lot of them were in dark colors. Finally, after looking around for several minutes, he spotted Eddie, dressed as a rock – and – roll star. "Hi, Eddie" he said to him, over the music.

"Oh hi, Henry," Eddie replied. He held open his arms to show his costume. "What do you think?" Eddie's costume was all in black, so Henry had to wait until the disco light came their way to get a good look at it. It seemed to have spikes on the boots and the shoulders. He was also wearing some kind of wig to make him look like he had long hair. Strapped around his shoulder was a small electric guitar. (Henry assumed it was fake.)

Henry nodded. "Cool. Do you like mine?" he asked, a little unsure of himself. Henry had enjoyed putting his costume together with Grandma and Grandpa, but now…seeing so many other kids with designer costumes, he wondered if they would think it was dorky.

But Eddie nodded. "It's great, Henry. Let's get some punch. Teddy's around somewhere, too."

Henry nodded and headed for the food.

Henry and Eddie did find Teddy, munching on a cupcake when they went to get a drink. He had a great pirate costume as well. But Teddy assured Henry his costume was great, too. As Henry was finishing his punch, he walked by someone dressed as…Grandma. Well, Disney's Snow White, anyway. Henry shook his head. He should have expected that. After all, she was a popular character. But still, it was weird. He tried not to stare. He wondered if Grandma had seen people dressed as herself and how weird she thought it was.

Henry watched some of the other kids dance for a few minutes to the fast music. Was this how most kids his age danced? He suddenly wished he'd watched more TV when he'd had the chance. Maybe he would've been able to learn how to do this stuff.

Henry wondered where Grandma and Grandpa were right now. They had kept their word, after all. He didn't even notice them being here. Then the music changed and a slow love song began playing. Grandma and Grandpa appeared on the dance floor almost right away. He watched them for a few minutes. Mom didn't really like Grandma and Grandpa getting affectionate in front of her, Henry knew. But Henry had always loved watching them together. To him, they were some of the best evidence of happy endings. And they gave him hope he'd have that kind of relationship himself someday.

As he continued watching his grandparents, Michelle, a student from Henry's math class tapped his shoulder. She was dressed as a panda bear. "Would you like to dance, Henry?"

Henry shrugged. "I'm not sure I know how," he replied, thinking of all the fast dancing the kids had been doing before.

Michelle shook her head. "Don't worry about that right now. Slow dancing is easy. Come on, I'll show you," she led Henry to the dance floor. Henry tried to remember the waltz steps Grandma taught him a few weeks ago. But it turned out, he didn't need them. But dancing with Michelle…it was kind of nice.

OOOOOOOOO

However, when they arrived home, Henry suddenly felt guilty for going to the party, and worse, enjoying himself. He ran into his bedroom and began ripping off his costume. How could he have thought attending a Halloween party would be a good idea? All the feelings about his other mom came rushing back. She never liked Halloween. It was a silly holiday that kids received too much sugar for, as far as she was concerned. How could Henry attend a party like that? A party Henry knew he'd never be allowed to go to if she was still alive? Even worse, he'd enjoyed himself. How could he do that when she was dead?

Tears welled up in Henry's eyes and despite the number of times he tried to blink or wipe them away, they kept coming. He flopped down on his air mattress, completely miserable.

About an half – hour later, he heard a knock at his door. "Henry, are you okay?" Grandpa asked through the door.

"We haven't heard anything from you since we got home," Grandma added.

Henry wiped his tears away again and tried to sound normal when he replied, "I'm fine. Don't worry about me." He didn't want his grandparents knowing he'd spent the last half hour crying. He'd been ashamed of crying for a few years now; after all it wasn't what big kids did. His experience in the foster home had only made him more ashamed of it. Besides, he was pretty sure his grandparents would tell him he was being silly, since Regina had made it clear she regretted the way she raised him before she died. But Henry couldn't stop his stupid feelings.

However, Henry had forgotten that he had inherited his perception and gift for observation from Grandma and Grandpa. They came in the room, saying, "It sounded like you've been crying. Are you upset about Regina again?"

Henry didn't answer. He was too ashamed of himself.

"Henry," Grandma began as she sat down on the air mattress. "It's okay to be upset about Regina. We won't think less of you for it."

Henry looked at the floor. "But you told me I shouldn't feel bad about going to the party. That she would want me to have fun. So I did. But now…I'm feelings so guilty about going. I really wish I stayed home...Don't you think that's stupid?"

Grandpa shook his head. "Your feelings are never stupid, Henry. They are the way you feel, and you shouldn't be ashamed of them, no matter how illogical they seem."

"Grief can be funny," Grandma continued. "You think you're over all the bad feelings. Just like you thought you were okay to go to the party earlier. And then it hits you when you least expect it. My mother's been dead for almost two decades…that I remember anyway, and it still hits me hard sometimes."

Henry nodded. "But I should be brave! I shouldn't be getting all…weepy like this! Henry turned around so they couldn't see him wipe the tears out of his eyes again. "That's for babies."

Grandpa smiled at that comment. "Oh? And what would you say if I told you I've cried before?"

Henry turned and looked at Grandpa in surprise. Grandpa cried? Grandpa had to be the bravest man he knew! "Really? When?"

"When I thought I didn't find Snow in enough time to save her. She was in the glass coffin…" Grandpa shook his head at the sad memories and Grandma patted his arm. "And another time was when I was upset because my mother died. Crying can actually make you feel better, Henry. It's alright."

Henry nodded and let the tears fall as his grandparents wrapped their arms around him. They were right. He did feel better.

XXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOO

Red had been to Joan Richardson's house for lunch two more times. She loved seeing Shaggy and Joan seemed to like her and trust Red enough to let her stay at her home for a couple of weeks. So that Saturday, she headed over to Joan's house carrying a bag of clothes and toiletries. She was happy Abigail had finally found a job. Now her roommate would be able to pay for food and supplies, even when Red wasn't staying there.

"Hello," Red greeted Joan and Shaggy when she knocked on the door.

"Hi, Ruby," Joan replied cheerfully.

Shaggy barked happily in greeting and licked Red's hand. They all went into the living room.

"So here's all the emergency numbers, right here on this table," Joan began, explaining the last – minute details. "They include the hospital, the fire department, Shaggy's vet, and my sister's number. I'll also have my cell phone with me, of course."

Red nodded. "Okay."

"When you leave the house for a few hours, don't worry about him. Shaggy never harms my things; he's just temperamental with other people. Just make sure you return to sleep here. Otherwise he could get lonely and start howling." Joan petted Shaggy. "Isn't that right, boy? You like to know someone's here over night, don't you?" Shaggy licked her hand.

"Absolutely no guests, though," Joan warned. "In the first place, I don't want strangers in my home. In the second place, as I've already explained, Shaggy doesn't get along with most people. He'll growl, snarl, and even bite sometimes, at strangers."

Red nodded. She suspected that. "Can I talk to people on my communication device, though?" She was worried about Emma. Emma came to see her or called her quite a bit these last two weeks. The woman really needed Red's support to get over Neal's death, and Red wanted to give it to her.

Joan gave Red a strange look for a couple of minutes. Then she finally seemed to understand. "Oh! You mean is it okay to talk to people on your phone. Yeah, that's fine. Don't worry about it." Joan still seemed a little confused about something, but she moved on. "So I guess I should head out now." She picked up her luggage and moved it to her transportation device. Then she came back in one last time to say goodbye to Shaggy. "So you like Ruby, don't you?" she said as she petted her dog. "You'll have fun with her and she'll take good care of you while I'm gone." She petted Shaggy one last time. "Thanks again, Ruby. I'll see you in two weeks. I'll try to call in a few days, too." Then Joan got into her transportation device and disappeared down the road.

Red looked at Shaggy. "So I guess just you and me, huh?" She gave the dog a pet. "How about some lunch?" The dog barked happily and ran into the kitchen.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Red spent the next few days taking care of Shaggy. She was really enjoying spending time with the dog. He loved to get his hair brushed and go for walks around the neighborhood. He was also constantly licking her hands and her face. Red had seen what Joan meant about Shaggy interacting with other people, though. He growled and snarled at people during their walks, no matter how much Red tried to calm him down.

Most evenings, when she got home from work, she would talk to Emma. She was really glad Emma had someone who had lost a boyfriend to help her get through this. When Red lost Peter, she only had Snow to help her. It was nice that Snow had tried to comfort Red, and Snow had known what it was like to grieve, having lost her mother before and her father recently. But…Red remembered thinking how much she wished there would be someone there for her who had also lost a romantic love.

However, Red noticed she was staying late more and more evenings later and later. At first, Mr. Jenison only asked her to stay until about 9:30, to make sure the place was completely clean. Then, he began asking her to stay until 10:00, so he could have company while he went over the books. Last night, he even bought her a drink while they worked late together.

So that Wednesday night, when Mr. Jenison asked her to stay late again, and bought her another white wine, Red didn't think much of it. She simply sipped her wine and watched while he made his notes for the day. But all at once, Mr. Jenison shoved the notes aside and grinned at her…like she had something he wanted. Red was just about to ask what it was when he pressed his body against hers and began fondling her breasts. Mr. Jenison still did that on a regular basis, of course, and Red had been trying to tell him not too. But somehow…the words never came out. Tonight, they did. "Mr. Jenison," she told him firmly, pushing him away, "You really shouldn't do that."

Mr. Jenison laughed at her with the same grin on his face. "What's the matter, sweet thing? You've never had a problem with it before." Then he grabbed her hand and pulled her back up against him. "You know why we're here tonight, don't you? That's why you stayed, isn't it?" He laughed again and began taking off her waitress top.

It suddenly occurred to Red that he probably designed these uniforms so he could get them off easily. Emma and Snow had been right. Mr. Jenison wanted to have sex with her and wasn't going to take no for an answer. But Red had no intension of having sex with this man. And spending so much time with Shaggy had brought out her wolf side again. So as he attempted to pull down her skirt and rub his genitals against hers, Red grabbed the man's hand and bit him as hard as she could. While he was recovering, she gave him a quick kick and he landed on the floor.

"What did you do that for, stupid woman? I know you wanted me too! You had to have wanted me!"

But as he tried to get up Red was already out the door, having already put her waitress top back on. Then she ran, almost as fast as a wolf, out the door. Her regular clothes were still in her locker, but Red decided she could do without them. She never wanted to see inside of that restaurant again. Right now, she was going head to Joan's. She could really use Shaggy's company.

So, I realize last weeks chapter was a bit of a shocker for you guys. And this chapter is probably even more of a shocker. I understand if you need to take some time to digest it; I have to do that myself with some stories.

However, I really hope some of you review, even if you have to wait a few days first. I like reviews; it shows me the story is working for my readers. Also, I don't know if I mentioned this before, but I don't mind criticism. If you have a problem with some of the story or someone's character, feel free to tell me. Sometimes that makes the story better.

Also, I hope you liked my David/Snow childhood memory scenes. A lot of people think Snow's cooking habits come from her Mary Margaret persona, but as I've already indicated she's a wonderful cook without MM memories, I needed to give her another reason that was in her character. How did I do?

I also really enjoyed writing child – David. I wish we saw more of his childhood on the show. We've seen several episodes with Snow's childhood, but none of his. I hope they change that next season, but in the meantime, I'm going to take advantage of the fact that I'm having the characters write a new fairytale book as a reason to write more child David scenes.

I'd also like to mention that the idea that moss only grows on the north side of trees, (so you can use it to find your way home) is actually true. When slaves couldn't see The North Star (or have a guide), sometimes they used tree moss. I thought it would be a wonderful way for David to find his way home, since he was supposed to be herding the sheep before the stars came out, and he probably didn't have a compass. Ahhh, mixing OUAT fanfiction with American history. Life can't get much better than this! LOL.