Chapter 41

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 letting me use her story as a starting point.

Henry was impressed that Killian wanted to behave "like a gentleman" with his mom, even though they continued to tease each other as well. Mom seemed to enjoy the teasing, too. Killian still tried to be friendly with all of their family as well. Even Grandpa had started to be nicer to him. So Henry decided Killian was good man for Mom. He shouldn't hold it against Killian that he'd tried to kill Grandpa Rumple in the past. Someday, Henry might even consider Killian a friend.

Except that Mom said her relationship with Killian would only be "temporary," didn't she? She said even though they were having fun, she knew he wasn't her True Love, so they would break up eventually. Henry wasn't sure he wanted to be friends with someone that wasn't going to be there permanently. He decided to keep the friends he had rather than making new ones.

More importantly, Henry wanted to be clear that Grandpa was still the best male role model he had. He was Prince Charming and what could be better than that? Besides, Grandpa would always be there for Henry. One afternoon, a few days from the Halloween Dance, he looked at a picture of Grandpa dressed as a prince in his book. "Grandma? Could you make me a Halloween costume like that?" He showed her the picture of Grandpa.

Grandma looked at the picture with loving eyes. Then she grinned at Henry. "Yes, I think we could do that. We'll start with the suit you already have. Go put it on, Henry."

Henry went to his room and did so. He knew the one she was talking about. The suit he'd worn to their wedding last year. Henry had bought it so he would have a suit just like Grandpa's. It was perfect for this. "What do you think?" he asked Grandma when he returned to the living room.

Grandma smiled as she looked at Henry. "Perfect," she agreed.

Henry pointed to the picture. "But Grandpa had a cape when he was dressed as a prince. Could you make me something like that?"

Grandma smiled. "I think so. We'll have to get some fabric. Something in a royal blue I think, to go with your suit."

Henry nodded. "Grandpa's wearing a red suit in this picture, though." He pointed to another picture of Grandpa on another page. "Maybe that would be better."

Grandma nodded, stroking the picture softly. "Yes, he is. But it wouldn't be easy to find an outfit like that in this world, Henry, and it would be expensive even if we did. With this outfit," Grandma pointed to another picture of Grandpa. He was wearing black pants, a white shirt, and a reddish – brown cape. "You can wear that suit," Grandma pointed to the suit Henry was wearing. "And a blue cape."

Henry examined the pictures for another couple of minutes. Then finally he look back at Grandma. "Okay," he agreed. "Can I carry my wooden sword with me, too? Grandpa always had his sword with him."

Grandma nodded. "Of course."

OOOOOOOOOOO

Grandpa was very happy when he heard Henry wanted to dress as him for Halloween. He eagerly agreed Grandma should buy material to make a cape. They picked out a royal blue with a velvet texture. Then he and Grandma jokingly argued about the best way to put it together. "If I just bring it together here," Grandma commented as she picked up the ends, "It should work perfectly for Henry."

Grandpa shook his head. "No, it should come over his head, more like a combination shirt and cape, like this," He held the ends together to show what he meant. "That way it won't come off every time he walks. Keeping that cape on could be a pain in the neck."

Grandma shook her head. "I don't know. I liked it when it came off, and I'm pretty sure you liked what happened after it came off."

Grandma and Grandpa shared a funny look. "Definitely."

It was a good thing Mom wasn't here right now. She didn't like it when they looked at each other like that. Or that, he added to himself, as they followed the look with a kiss. But Mom was out with Killian again. Ironic that she didn't like Grandpa and Grandma kissing when she seemed to do an awful lot of kissing these days as well. But Henry supposed it didn't really matter right now.

"Besides, I don't have enough time to sew that much," Grandma continued after they broke apart. "Henry needs his costume in a few days, Charming."

Grandpa nodded. "I should get you a sewing machine, Snow."

Grandma shrugged. "Maybe, but we can't afford one now. So this is the way I'm going to make this," she said firmly, as she began sewing the ends of the fabric together.

"It's fine, Grandma," Henry told her. He wanted to make it clear he was happy with the costume.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Henry showed Mom his costume before she left for work the night of the party. She was working late again, just like she had last Halloween night. "So what do you think?" he asked her. "Do I look like Grandpa?" Henry was wearing his blue suit with the royal blue cape Grandma made him. Grandpa had even made a place on his belt loop to carry his sword, just like Grandpa had. "I know it's not perfect," Henry continued, looking at his outfit. "Grandpa had a leather vest, too. Or a red suit. But I thought I looked pretty good…"

Mom gave Henry a big hug. "I think you look wonderful, Henry. Just like Grandpa."

Grandpa nodded proudly from the background. "You do look wonderful, Henry. Now stand like this." Grandpa stood straight, with his shoulders back. It made him look more regal, Henry supposed. Henry had seen him standing like that in some of the formal occasions in his book. Henry stood exactly like Grandpa told him to. "Perfect," Grandpa smiled. Henry grinned. Now he was a real Prince Charming, just like Grandpa."

"Well, I have to leave now," Mom commented, getting ready to go to the bus stop. "I'll see you guys later."

OOOOOOOOOO

A couple of hours later, it was time for the three of them to go to the bus stop as well. Grandpa and Grandma were going to the party again this year, because they were part of the PTO now. But Henry decided that wasn't so bad. They weren't chaperoning, after all. They were just selling refreshments. So Henry was confident they would keep their distance from his friends. Besides, he kind of liked the idea of Grandpa watching Henry at the dance, considering Henry was dressed as Prince Charming.

Henry saw Eddie right away. He was dressed as Frankenstein, just as he said he would be. "Hi, Henry!"

Henry grinned and slapped his friend on the back. Then Eddie raised his hands in the classic "Frankenstein" pose and began grunting. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Henry nodded. Then he struck the "royal pose" that Grandpa had showed him. "What do you think?" he asked Eddie.

"Not bad, Henry," Eddie replied.

"There's Teddy, dancing with Samantha." He pointed to Batman dancing with a fairy.

Henry nodded. "Cathy is over there, too." He pointed to a red – haired girl dressed as female devil. "I think I'll go see her." Despite her costume, Cathy was a nice girl. Henry liked talking to her at lunch sometimes, although he wasn't about to try a romantic relationship again after what happened with Michelle. So Henry wandered in that direction, while Eddie went to see another girl.

As Henry grew closer to Cathy, he bumped into a kid dressed as the Grim Reaper. The Grim Reaper stopped as he examined Henry's costume. "So you're supposed to be…what some sort of prince or something?"

Henry nodded proudly, striking his royal pose again. "Prince Charming."

The Grim Reaper laughed at Henry and shook his head. "What a wussy costume!"

How dare he say that! Henry thought to himself, his blood boiling. "Prince Charming isn't a wuss! He's the bravest man there is. The Prince Charming I know fought dragons and evil witches."

The Grim Reaper shrugged. "Whatever. I don't see how your costume can compete with mine, anyway." He held up his prop axe and prepared to pretend to cut off Henry's head. "And aren't you supposed to wear a silly hat on your head?"

Henry shook his head. What was this guy talking about? "Gr – Prince Charming never wears a silly hat!" He felt like giving this guy a good punch in the face. But before he could do so, one of the chaperones, Mrs. Bates, stepped between the two boys.

"Calm down, please, or you will both have to go home. Do you understand?" she asked firmly.

Henry sighed. "Yes." He hated that this guy was insulting Grandpa. But Henry had to remember that the other boy wasn't trying to insult Grandpa. The other boy was probably thinking of the silly cartoon character.

"Yeah, sure Mrs. Bates," the Grim Reaper replied.

Henry found Cathy and asked her to dance. He had a good time at the dance with his friends, and danced with a few nice girls. Several girls actually asked Henry to dance, too. After all, he'd taken lessons on ballroom dancing from Grandpa and Grandma. And Mom had showed him some nice moves for fast dancing. So many of the girls were quite impressed with Henry.

The only problem was that Mrs. Bates seemed to be keeping a close eye on Henry since his almost – fight with that other boy. It was kind of annoying. Besides, he wasn't sure if he heard his mistake. When he got some sodas from Grandpa and Grandma, he almost called them Grandpa and Grandma again, just like he always did.

Still, over all, Henry had a great time at the Halloween dance, and he loved dressing as Grandpa.

XXXXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOO

Red still loved spending time with Justin. And Champ, too, of course. They played with the dogs at the park. They went to McDonalds. They listened to books in Justin's apartment. Sometimes they even spent time in her apartment. Fredrick was even warming up to Justin. He was, in Fredrick's words, "a nice young man who was good to Red."

And they had a very good time at the dance they went to a few weeks ago. Justin had loved the texture of her dress, just like she knew he would. "I can feel the flowers on this dress," he'd commented as he caressed the dress. "It feels beautiful on you," he'd told her softly. Red had kissed him on the cheek then. She kissed him on the cheek often. Justin always smiled her when she did that. Red had loved being in Justin's arms, too. It had been a long time since she'd felt safe in a man's arms, much less enjoyed it. But she really did enjoy it. And it was all because of Justin.

Red talked to Justin about her problems as well. She told him which dogs were being a problem at the kennel. She talked to him when she had an argument with her roommates. Justin talked to Red about disagreements he had with clients and other work colleagues. He also told her more of how his father left him and what he'd felt about that. "He didn't come home a lot. And when he did, he and Mom started fighting. But it was almost the same time as the kids at school started acting funny about me. Teasing, you know."

"Yeah," Red nodded. Kids in any world would always tease the person who was different.

"And some of the teachers tried to do everything for me, of course," Justin grumbled. "I tried to talk to Dad about it, when he was home. But he just brushed me off. I asked him if I could visit him at the hospital, since he was too busy to come home. But he said, 'absolutely not!' Probably because he didn't want other people to know his son was blind. And he always had an excuse not come see me after the divorce."

Red simply wrapped her arms around Justin and kissed his cheek again.

But Red wished she could tell him how much she identified with his past. She'd told him a little, but not nearly enough for him to understand. She wasn't a child when people teased and hunted her because she was a wolf, but it still hurt. And Granny hated that she and her mother were wolves, too. She'd kicked Anita out of her house because Anita didn't want deny the part of her that was a wolf. She'd tried to convince Red to deny that part of her as well. At least Red and Granny got along fine now.

Recently, Red introduced Justin to Granny, explaining that this was the woman who had raised her. The meeting had gone fairly well, although Granny had threatened to hit Justin with a cross – bow if he did anything to hurt Red. Justin obviously thought that comment was strange, but he eventually accepted Granny. She'd fed them her famous lasagna.

Red tried to avoid "strange comments" when she was around Justin, but sometimes they slipped out. She tried to brush them off, but Justin was perceptive. Eventually he would…what? Realize that he was dating Red Riding Hood and that she'd grown up in the Enchanted Forest? Unlikely, but Justin might realize she was keeping something from him. Red didn't like that. At all. They told each other so much these days. And Justin talked about his past. He'd even shown her the town he'd grown – up in. Red, on the other hand, kept everything vague. She couldn't stop thinking that was wrong. She wanted to tell Justin everything.

She hadn't felt this for a man since Peter, after all. And…sometimes she wondered if her feelings for Justin might be stronger than what she'd felt for Peter. Red loved Justin. She needed to tell him.

But the question was how? Should she sit him down at the park while they watched the dogs play and tell him she was part canine? Literally? Should she wait until they'd finished listening to a book at his apartment and tell him there was a book about her life? (Although the story got a lot of details wrong.) Should she make him a candlelit dinner at her apartment so she could tell him she loved him, and then add that she came from the Enchanted Forest? None of those ideas seemed right. They sounded so far – fetched. Justin would never believe her if she tried to tell him the truth about herself those ways.

One thing was for sure, though. She should tell him in a private place, like her apartment or his. Not the park or McDonalds or something. She didn't want to take the chance that someone might overhear their conversation. Plus, Justin might become pretty…loud as he responded. No, this needed to be done in private. But still, how should she bring up the subject? And more importantly, how did she convince Justin she was telling the truth?

Red continued thinking for a while. Then something occurred to her. Emma lived in this world for twenty – eight years before she'd met her parents. Had she believed her parents were Snow White and Prince Charming right away? Unlikely, from what she knew about Emma's past. Maybe Red could ask Emma for advice. So Red waited until later that night, when Emma would probably be home and called her on her communication device. "Hi Emma," she greeted her friend.

"Hi Ruby," Emma answered. "What's up?"

It took Red a moment to realize that was Emma's way of saying "What is going on with you?" She'd been in this world for over a year, and she still wasn't used to all the slang. "I have a question for you, Emma. How long did it take you to…realize that your parents were Snow White and Prince Charming?"

Emma paused for a minute. "Why do you want to know?" she finally replied. Her voice sounded guarded, like it was something she didn't want to talk about.

Red sighed. "Things have been going really well with Justin and I. I think he and I could have a permanent future. But I hate that I'm hiding my past from him, Emma. He's told me so much about his past, while I keep everything vague. I feel like I'm keeping something from him. But…I don't know how to tell him! How do I make him believe me?"

"I see," Emma replied eventually. "That could get tricky. I mean you don't have any way to prove it, do you?"

"Not really," Red grumbled. "I can't turn into a wolf in this world. I don't even have my red cloak with me."

Emma sighed. "Well, I needed proof to believe it, although Henry had been telling me the truth and showing me evidence for close to a year. But…maybe you'll be lucky and Justin won't take so long to believe it. After all, I inheritedboth of my parents' stubbornness. It didn't make it easy for me."

Red laughed. "I'm sure it didn't."

Emma sighed. "But there was more to it than that for me. I'm ashamed to admit this now, Ruby, because I love my parents and I know they're great people. But I didn't want what Henry was saying to be true. I didn't want them to be my parents."

"Really?" Red was surprised. What kid wouldn't want Snow and David for parents? And certainly Emma would have been happy to have parents who loved her after all the time of being alone. But Red tried to keep the judgement out of her voice. Emma was trying to help her, after all.

"I know. It sounds so ridiculous now," Emma continued. "But you have to understand. Snow's cursed personality had become my roommate and my best friend. I loved her. I thought of her as family. But my parents? I had so much anger toward them, Ruby. I couldn't believe they'd given me up to help me. I thought Snow and David had only sent me to this world to save their kingdom, not to save me. So I didn't want Mary Margaret to be my mother, because I'd have to unleash all of my anger I'd been holding on my parents on my best friend."

"I see," Red replied finally. She tried to understand. "It sounds like your family was really complicated and emotional after the Curse broke."

"Definitely. But anyway, Justin doesn't have any reasons to hope your story isn't true, Ruby. It might help him accept the truth earlier."

"Good to know."

"And what about if you showed him more 'evidence?' The rest of your friends from the Enchanted Forest might be able to help you. We could all tell our stories to him."

Red smiled. "That just might work. I'll tell everyone to come over this weekend."

OOOOOOOOOOO

So Red did just that. She talked to Abigail and Fredrick about having Justin over Saturday afternoon to talk. "And I…want you guys to be there, too," she added. "I'm going to try to tell him the truth about my past. About the Enchanted Forest. It would help if you were there to corroborate."

Abigail and Fredrick looked at Red uncertainly. "Are sure you want to do this?"

Red shrugged. "I can't keep something like this from him anymore. And I know I can trust him."

Fredrick nodded. "He does seem trustworthy."

"We'll help you if this is what you want to do, Red."

Red also talked to Snow and David. They were a little uncertain about telling an "outsider" about their pasts, but they would do it to support Red. And of course, Emma would come. She had even talked to Henry about bringing his fairytale book with the real stories of their pasts. Everything was all set.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Red met Justin at the park first. She wanted some time for just the two of them before they went to the apartment. "Hi Justin," she greeted him. "Hi, Champ," she greeted the dog.

Champ barked at her and held up a stick in his mouth. "Is it okay if I play with him?" she asked.

"Sure," Justin replied, sitting on their usual bench.

So Red and Champ played fetch for a while. Red was glad the dog "suggested it." She was nervous about this afternoon, and spending time with dogs always calmed her down. After the dog grew tired of the game, Red sat next to Justin on the bench. She took his hand carefully. "I have something important to say," she began. "I'm sure you've noticed that you've told me more about your past than I've told you about mine."

Justin sighed. "I guess I have. I just didn't know how to bring it up."

Red nodded. "I thought so. I've decided to tell you everything today. Because, I love you, Justin." She whispered the last comment as she kissed him on the cheek.

Justin smiled from ear to ear. "That's good to hear. Because I love you, too." He kissed her cheek as well. "And so does Champ. Right, boy?"

Champ barked.

"Well, that's good. Great even. But in order to hear about my past…we have to return to my apartment. My past is complicated, and it's not a story I want to explain in public." She looked around at all the other people in the park.

Justin nodded and got up. "Okay. Is this the reason why you've waited so long to tell me about it?"

Red nodded. "Part of it. It's also quite unbelievable, which is why I've asked my friends to help corroborate. They're waiting for us."

"Okay. Justin hooked the harness back on Champ and they headed back to Red's apartment.

Abigail and Fredrick were there, of course. "Hello Justin," they greeted him.

Snow, David, and Emma were there as well. Emma was holding Henry's book. "Hello, Justin."

Justin smiled. "I recognize Abigail and Fredrick's voices. I hear them regularly. But can the rest of you introduce yourselves again?"

"Of course. I'm Emma."

"You were introduced to me as Mary Margaret, but I have another name which you'll learn today."

"You were introduced to me as David, but you might be familiar with another one of my names as well."

Justin shrugged his shoulders and sat on their couch. Red sat next to him and took his hand. Champ sat on the floor at their feet. "So, like I said before, I was raised by Granny. We lived in a small, mountain community. But when I became a teenager…things started changing. A large wolf was reported to be terrorizing the area. People were afraid of it. Granny was afraid to let me out. But I had met…Peter…and I didn't like being locked up."

"So you snuck out. To see your boyfriend." Justin concluded.

Red sighed. This was still hard to talk about. Peter, and what she did to him…"Yes. It was also so when I met Mary Margaret. Or 'Mary' as she called herself then."

Snow smiled at her and picked up the book from Emma. She continued the story. "I used a fake name because I was running from someone." Justin looked confused, probably wondering how different 'Mary' was from 'Mary Margaret.' But he let her continue. "Red and I decided to look for the wolf. Eventually…we realized that the wolf was part wolf and part human. A werewolf."

Justin scoffed. "You have to be kidding me."

Red sighed and looked at the floor. "No, Justin, I'm not. I told you this was going to be difficult for you to believe. And I have no proof in this world. But I was the werewolf. That's why I run so fast. That's why I get along so well with dogs. I'm…part canine." Justin continued to shake his head in disbelief, but at least he was still listening. Maybe this would be alright. "That's why I understand what it feels like to have people treat you differently for something you can't control," Red continued, mentioning something they'd bonded over. "That's why I understand what it feels like to have a family member reject you. Granny wanted my mother to deny her wolf. Me too. Eventually…I learned to control it and enjoy it."

"So what do you turn into a wolf during the full moon or something?" Justin shook his head.

"I used to," Red replied. "When we lived…in the other world. That's the other reason I haven't told you very much about my past, Justin. I'm not from this world. None of us are. We're from a place called the Enchanted Forest."

"So are you telling me my girlfriend is a werewolf and from a magical land?" He laughed, dryly. "I see. You're playing a prank on me. I never really thought of you guys as the "prank" type. But I suppose it's some kind of initiation into the family or whatever you guys are…"

David sighed and said in a calm voice, "No. Not at all. Although Red did want us to tell you this because she wants you to be in her family."

That seemed to calm Justin down a little. "All right. So if you are all from this 'Enchanted Forest,' why are you not still there?"

"That story really belongs to us," Snow replied, flipping the pages of the book again. "Although if you want me to, I'll vouch for Red's story. She was a werewolf. I've seen her change many times in the Enchanted Forest.

"Me too," David added.

"Anyway…the woman I was running from when I met Red was…The Evil Queen. And I'm Snow White." Justin's mouth hung open for a moment after that comment. "After I met Red, I eventually met my Prince Charming." She petted David's shoulder as she said that. "Together, we were able to defeat the Evil Queen. But she had a trick up her sleeve. She had access to a Curse that would transport us away from the Enchanted Forest to a town called Storybrooke. We'd live our lives there without remembering our former lives in the Enchanted Forest at all."

"That doesn't make any sense," Justin protested. "If that were true, you'd still be there, not here claiming to be Snow White. I think I've had enough of this tall tale, thank you very much." He started to get up off the couch.

Red bit her lip. She knew this story would be hard for him to believe. She thought this might happen. But she underestimated how much it would hurt. She grabbed his arm. "Justin, wait," she protested.

"There's a reason why we remember the Enchanted Forest and a reason why we're not in Storybrooke anymore," Snow said firmly.

"It's all because of Emma," Snow and David said at the same time. "She broke the Curse, so we remembered everything. And she helped us get over the town line when we apparently had trouble in the town," Snow finished.

Emma smiled. "Well, you guys helped get everyone over the town line more than I did. You had the potion. All I did was try to slow down the explosion."

"You still did plenty, Emma," David said firmly. "And we're proud of you, even though we don't remember it."

Emma rolled her eyes at David. "Snow and David are my biological parents," she explained to Justin. "And before you ask, it's possible because they sent me to this world before the Curse hit. I grew up. They stayed frozen in Storybrooke, because time stood still there until I came to town."

Justin shook his head again.

"Look I didn't believe it either," Emma told him. "I had to pick up a magic book and watch my son almost die in order to believe. Unfortunately, we don't have it or anything magic anymore. But what's easier to believe? That we're all mentally unstable even though we're telling you the same story? Or that Ruby – Red wants you to know all of her past so you can know her as well as she knows you?"

Justin got up again. "I don't think you're all mentally unstable. Like you just said, that doesn't make sense if you all believe the same thing. But I can't believe this is the truth, either. Maybe…you've come up with this story to hide the real truth. That you're illegal immigrants or something; I don't know. Or maybe it's like I said before, you think this is a great practical joke. But whatever, I've had enough. Come on, Champ."

"Justin!" Red protested again. "I love you!"

Justin shook his head. "If you really loved me you wouldn't spin these stupid stories on me. Goodbye, Ruby." With that, he left the apartment.

Ruby looked at the floor. She knew there was a good possibility Justin wouldn't believe her. But still…the idea that he would believe she would lie to him…And get her friends to lie to him, too, Ruby couldn't believe how much that hurt. "I guess that was a bad idea, after all," she told her friends.

"We did our best, Ruby," Emma told her. "I'm sorry."

"I am, too," Abigail added.

Snow hugged Red. "I'm sorry that didn't work out. But you don't know that's the way it's going to end with him. Maybe he's just too overwhelmed to believe right now. We did hit him with everything at once."

It made sense that Snow would say that. She liked to believe the best in everyone, and she obviously believed firmly in the power of love. But Red wasn't sure it would work in her case. She just shrugged.

"By the way, I finally got a real sword a few days ago," Fredrick told David. "Are you still interested in sparring?"

David nodded. "Yes. I'll see if I can pick one up in the next few days. We can meet next weekend in the park."

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

OOOOOOOOO

Snow tried to comfort Red the best she could after what happened with Justin. She invited her to their house for dinner. She talked to her on the phone more frequently. Snow noticed Emma talked to Red a lot on the phone as well. It was nice that Red and Emma got a long so well. Especially at a time like this. Red needed all the friends and support she could get.

Snow still had other responsibilities, though. Like the PTO meeting she and Charming were going to tonight. Snow thought they had done quite well with the Halloween dance and said so. Most of the others agreed. Then they began talking about their Christmas candy cane sale. When the meeting was over, Mrs. Bates asked her and Charming to stay afterwards.

"I'm concerned about your nephew, Mr. and Mrs. Nolan," Mrs. Bates began after everyone else left.

What was wrong with Henry? Snow wondered.

"Really?" Charming asked in surprised. "Henry's always been a good kid."

Mrs. Bates nodded. "Usually he is. But at the dance last weekend, he almost got in a fight with another boy."

Snow sighed and shook her head. They'd have to talk to him about that.

"I'm sorry. We'll make sure to talk to his mother and Henry about that," Charming commented.

Mrs. Bates nodded. "I appreciate that. But that wasn't the only thing I was concerned about. Henry, as you probably know, was dressed as 'Prince Charming' for the dance."

They both nodded. They'd been so proud that Henry wanted to go to the dance dressed like his grandfather, and they'd done a lot to make the costume the best it could be. "Yes," Charming replied warily. "What was wrong with that?"

Mrs. Bates smiled. "Nothing, of course. But when he talked about his Prince Charming costume, he started to call it something else. It started with a 'G.' I watched him for the rest of the night, to make sure he didn't get into any more fights. He also started to use the same word for you, Mr. Nolan."

Snow swallowed. Someone had finally noticed Henry's "slip – ups" when it came to their names. He preferred calling them, "Grandma and Grandpa," so he was constantly almost using those names in public.

"Now, I don't know what he was trying to say or what it means," Mrs. Bates continued. "I've tried to figure it out for the last few days and I haven't come up with anything that makes sense. Was he trying to say 'Great One'? Because Prince Charming is great." Snow nodded eagerly. She could definitely agree with that. "And he thinks his uncle is great, too? Or Graduate? Or…I don't know." Well, at least the teacher hadn't come anywhere close to the truth. "But I wonder why he's associating his uncle with a cartoon character. Boys his age have usually outgrown that. I know Henry's had some…instability in the last couple of years, with the death of his adoptive mother and the custody battle. Could this be his way of responding to the trauma?"

"I know Henry has had a little trouble with adjusting in the past, but he's seemed fine for the past few months," Charming volunteered. "But we will talk to him about your concerns."

"That's good. I'm glad to hear that," Mrs. Bates replied, getting up. "I'll see you two at our next meeting."

They nodded and left the school. "I feel like we just escaped one of Regina's knights," Snow commented when she was sure they were out of ear shot. "That could have gone a lot worse."

Charming wrapped his arms around her. "Don't joke about that, please. When I think about all those times you narrowly escaped those knights…how determined they were to cut your heart out of your body…"

Snow gave him a peck on the lips. "I'm sorry. But I made out fine."

"I know."

"I just mean…I never thought Henry's innocent mistakes could cause problems. If this happens again, it could be a lot harder to brush it off."

Charming sighed and nodded. "Yeah. I suppose we should have talked to him about our names earlier, but…it feels so good to hear him say 'Grandpa' I couldn't make myself do it."

Snow nodded. "Exactly." She looked up the street for a moment. "Here's the bus. We should probably stop this conversation now."

Charming nodded.

OOOOOOOOOOO

When they got home, however, they told Emma and Henry what Mrs. Bates had told them. About Henry almost starting a fight and about her other concerns.

"Henry!" Emma admonished. "You should know better than to start fights like that."

Henry looked at the floor. "Yeah, I know, Mom. It's just that he was insulting Grandpa…"

Snow and Charming groaned. This issue again.

"I understand you didn't like people insulting your family, Henry. I don't like it either. But remember, the other boy doesn't know who Grandpa is," Emma explained. "And that's the way we want to keep it. Try to solve problems in other ways than fighting."

Henry nodded.

"And we should have told you this a long time ago, but you need to try harder to call us 'aunt and uncle' in public. We don't need people wondering about our family like that. We love to hear those names, Henry, but you should only use them when you know we're alone."

Henry sighed. "Okay. I understand. I don't want people wondering about our family like that either. And I certainly don't want people to think I'm 'out – of – touch with reality,' or something. I had enough problems with that during the Curse."

Snow and Charming gave Henry a strange look. What?

"During the Curse, Henry was the only person in Storybrooke that realized the truth. People thought he was 'out – of – touch with reality' for it," Emma explained.

Snow nodded and gave Henry a hug. "Well, we know that's not the case anymore. You're a very smart boy, Henry."

Charming hugged Henry as well. "Definitely. So let's keep it so everyone else thinks so, too, huh?"

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Snow was impressed with Charming's interactions with Killian lately. He was obviously trying very hard to be nice to the man. Of course, it probably helped that Killian and Emma had agreed not to have sex in the near future. Charming had even stopped clenching his fists while they played "kiss and wrestle" in the backyard.

Snow personally thought it was a rather strange courtship ritual, to pretend to fight with someone just to kiss them. But then, she and Charming had some pretty strange rituals, too when she thought of playing "adult hide – and – seek" and tying each other up on occasion. So who was she to judge? Emma always looked happy when she was "wrestling," and that was what was important.

Anyway, Emma seemed quite happy Killian and Charming were getting along. In fact, Charming's acceptance of Killian seemed to be bringing Emma and Charming closer. (Quite ironic, considering the reason Charming didn't want to accept him.) Emma smiled at her father more and seemed more at ease with him. It was probably for that reason that Charming invited Killian to swordfight with him and Fredrick.

They agreed to meet at the park on Saturday. Charming had finally found a sporting goods store that sold real swords and he had managed to save enough to buy one. He looked so happy when he brought the sword home. "I'm getting used to this world," he told Snow. "And there are good things about it. Most importantly, this is where our family is. But…I guess I haven't really felt like me in a while." He patted the sword in the sheath. "This gives me some of my identity back."

Snow nodded. "Yes. You look more like yourself…I mean your old self wearing it. And I've always thought it made you look sexy," she whispered in his ear. She smiled mischievously at her husband. "Do you think it would be okay if I watched your little tournament?"

Charming nodded and kissed her. "Of course. You know, we'll have to find a bow for you soon. Then you can have some of your identity back, too."

Snow shrugged. "Thanks for the thought, but I'll be okay with watching you for now."

OOOOOOOOOOOO

It turned out Emma had the same idea of watching Killian as Snow did watching Charming. Charming made a face at that, but Snow was proud that he didn't say anything else. Henry also wanted to see Grandpa "sword – fight for real." So all three of them headed for the park that afternoon.

Abigail apparently wanted to see Fredrick fight as well, since she and Fredrick were both waiting.. "Hello, David," Fredrick commented. "Are we ready to begin?"

Charming shook his head. "Not quite. I…actually invited someone else."

Fredrick looked confused. "Really? I hope whoever it is, they're good with a sword. I want a real competition."

Charming shrugged.

Just then Killian walked up behind them, with a sword strapped to his side. "I'm sure I can beat, you, mate," he told Fredrick.

Charming shook his head. "Fredrick, this is Killian. He also comes from the Enchanted Forest. He's…well, dating Emma," he mumbled. Apparently that was something Charming still had a hard time saying. "Killian, this is Fredrick. He was a knight in the old world, and a friend of ours."

Both men nodded and shook hands. "I think I remember seeing you at the dance we went to last month," Fredrick commented.

Killian nodded, grinning smugly. "That's right. I was with Emma."

"So you're pretty good at sword fighting?" Fredrick asked, sounding uncertain.

Killian scoffed. "'Pretty good?' I've been winning at sword fights since before you were born. I'll show you!" With that, he took out his sword. "Come on, mate."

Charming shook his head and used his sword to get between them. "Excuse me!" he commanded, his voice full of authority. "We're not just going to start fighting enemies! This is going to be a tournament. We will choose who will go first and who will face off who. Do you two understand?" Definitely a time for his bluntness. Charming's voice left no room for argument, so both of the other men nodded.

"Okay, I think Fredrick and I will go first," Charming commented.

Fredrick nodded eagerly but Killian shook his head. "I should have known you'd do something like this," he muttered, but he sat down with Emma anyway.

Charming and Fredrick raised both their swords and began facing off. Apparently they'd both been practicing, because Charming was even better than he was last time, and Fredrick was just as good. They blocked each other's passes, ducked at the right time, spun around in seconds, and even did a couple of kicks. Every time they moved, Snow watched Charming's muscles flex, and they were great. It was a good thing that sword fighting built up so much body heat that they didn't need jackets, even on a chilly day like today. Plus, Snow always considered Charming fighting to be a big turn – on anyway, without the physical benefits. He always looked so alive when he was sword – fighting, never giving in to defeat. Snow sighed in contentment. Abigail did as well. Snow supposed she thought the same thing about Fredrick.

The sword – fight went on for more than an hour, but Fredrick finally showed signs of tiredness, so Charming was able to corner him. Killian was eager to take Fredrick as well, but Charming insisted on a break first. So they all took drinks and relaxed, enjoying a moment in their wives' arms. Eventually, Fredrick said he was ready to try again.

He and Killian raised their swords and began fighting as well. They used all the same moves that Charming and Fredrick had used. Fredrick was obviously surprised that Kilian was actually as good as he had said he would be, and Killian was quite smug about that. Snow had to admit, she didn't find this fight as entertaining as the last one, but she did find it interesting to watch Emma watch Killian. Eventually, however, Kilian's over confidence worked against him, and Fredrick beat him.

Fredrick gloated about that for a few minutes while Killian sulked. But after several minutes of drinks and kisses from Emma (which Charming managed not to look at), Killian was ready to try again.

This time the fight was between Charming and Killian. Snow knew from the last time they fought that this was going to be a long fight, but she would enjoy every minute of it. She got the impression Emma would as well. At least both men got along better than last time they'd done this. So they fought. Charming raised his sword against Killian's shoulder and he blocked it, then spun around and aimed his sword at Charming's shoulder. Charming ducked and aimed his sword at Killian's legs. Killian leaped just in time. (Snow heard Emma sigh loudly with that one.) But Charming still pushed his sword at the other man. Killian blocked the sword and aimed Charming's legs. Now it was his turn to leap. Snow's eyes widened as she watch his legs move and her husband soar threw the air. That had to be one of the best moves she'd ever seen. The two men fought for over an hour, and they all thought it might never end. But eventually, Charming got distracted for a second, and Killian was able to put Snow's husband on his knees.

Emma threw her arms around Killian, and he lifted her up in victory. Then they started kissing.

Charming looked at the ground while they did that. "I thought I was just as good at sword fighting as he was," he grumbled.

Snow smiled and put her arms around him. "You are," she told him as she rubbed his shoulders. "It was a fluke that he won this time. You did beat Fredrick, and Fredrick beat Killian. I think the fact that every one of you won once shows you all have equal talent. You didn't win every tournament in the Enchanted Forest, either."

Charming smiled at her. "Yeah. I guess."

She smiled back and gave him a big kiss. "And I still think your sword – fighting is sexy, even if you didn't win every game."

He kissed her back. "Then I guess I did win something," he smiled at her when they broke apart.

"Well, that was a lot of fun and I think both of you are worthy competitors," Fredrick commented. "We should do this again sometime." Abigail nodded eagerly at this plan as well.

"Sounds great, mate," Kilian agreed, with Emma's arms still wrapped around him.

"I think that sounds like a good idea, too," Emma replied smiling proudly at Killian and Charming.

Charming nodded. "Of course. We might have to wait until spring, because it will probably snow soon, but I like the idea of having a mini – tournament between the three of us."

"Me too!" Henry agreed, who had been quiet until now. "Maybe someday I can join, too."

Thank you very much for all your reviews. Please keep them coming whether they're positive, negative, or a little of both.

Here's some responses.

Guest #1: I'm glad you liked the chapter. As far as Emma calling her parents Snow and David, I wish she could call them Mom and Dad, too, and I love hearing her call them that on the show. But in this story, it isn't very in character for her to do that all the time. As this chapter highlighted with Henry, Emma can't call them Mom and Dad in public. And because Emma never called them "Mom and Dad" regularly before this story started, it's easier for her to become used to calling them "Snow and David" all the time, rather than calling them Mom and Dad in private and Snow and David in public. (Some of this was explained in chapters 31 and 33.) She has called them Mom and Dad a couple of times, though. Check chapters 29 and 31.

Guest # 2: When I saw episode 2 x 03, I figured they had sex after they were married then as well. But then episode 3x 10 indicated they weren't able to be sexually intimate until then. Unfortunately, some of the flashbacks contradict themselves. But I go with 3 x 10 as canon, simply because I love that episode so much. But in the end, I suppose it doesn't matter which marriage you believed they consummated, so long as you believe they waited.

Guest: #3 I've never heard that Emma has David's smile, although I'm sure you're right. But it works better for me to say Emma gets her facial expressions from Snow. However, I don't believe that Emma is just like Snow at all, in looks or personality. I think she's evenly split as far as personality (I thought I made that clear). And as far as looks, she's built like David. And she may or may not have David's eyes. (I've never been able to tell whether she has blue or green eyes.)

Guest #4: Yes, the last chapter was pretty heavy on the Captain Swan. I promise, not all much chapters will be like that, but that's the way that chapter ended up, because CS was just becoming a couple and I wanted to address all the family's feelings about that. Glad you like the protective Daddy and David's "real problems with Hook." Since I'm such a romantic, I want Emma to have romantic love, but I still feel sorry for David about the way it happened. Emma had only just accepted and loved him as a father on the show, and suddenly he has to share her with a boyfriend? My story isn't much better, but at least he gets a couple of months. All fathers have trouble sharing their girls with a boyfriend. But with David…it's so much harder. And he's afraid of losing Henry as well. And, unfortunately, he's right. If/when she and Killian fall in love and get married, he'll have a bigger piece of Emma's heart than David does.