Henry smiled to himself as he walked towards his house. He was holding hands with Goldilocks, and he considered himself the luckiest man in the world to be able to do so. It had taken him a long time to convince her that he was genuinely interested in her, and not just a romanticized caricature version of her from the fairy tales. It had taken even longer for him to convince his parents that Goldilocks was equally interested in him, and she wasn't just trying to find a way to take advantage of the Grimm family.

But now they'd been dating for more than six months, and it felt like a dream. They didn't fight. She got along with his brother, and had already shown that she could go toe-to-toe with him when he tried to tease her. Goldilocks even had a good relationship with Henry's parents. Everything was going so well in fact that Henry was hopeful that the hardest part of their relationship was behind them.

Goldilocks squeezed his hand. "What are you thinking about, Hank?"

"How beautiful you are and how lucky I am." Henry said. Goldilocks giggled and nudged him. The walk from town to home was a long one, but Henry didn't mind it, because it just meant more time with her. They'd been safe enough walking through the woods, as no wild animal would hurt Goldilocks.

When the house came into view the first thing they saw was that a police car was parked out front. Henry's good mood didn't disappear right away, but it started to deflate. There were a couple of things that could bring the cops to the house, but none of them were good.

Goldilocks was amused. "I wonder what Jake did this time." Henry hummed non-committedly. She kissed his cheek and brushed some of his hair out of his face. "I'm just teasing. I'm sure your brother's fine."

"At least one of us is." Henry stormed up to the front door and pulled out his set of house keys. He opened the door and let himself in, with Goldilocks coming in just behind him. "Mom! Dad!"

Jacob came running down the stairs, a weird look in his eyes. He looked like he didn't know if he was excited or anxious. "Mom and Dad are fighting."

Henry blinked. "They're what?"

"Jake, don't exaggerate." Their mom came down the stairs behind him, with their dad following at a distance. "We're not fighting."

"They're not five anymore, Relda." Basil. "They can handle knowing that we're fighting."

"It's just a difference of opinions." Relda said. "I wouldn't call that a fight."

"When we're both yelling and refusing to back down, that's exactly what I would call it." Basil said. Henry frowned. If they were fighting about whether they were fighting or not, he thought that Jake and their dad were right.

"If my presence is a problem, I can leave." A stranger said from the top of the stairs. Basil jumped and actually looked a little scared, which was what scared Henry more than this stranger's mere presence did.

"It's not a problem." Relda said gently. Basil looked like he was going to start arguing again, but Relda didn't let him start. "I should get started on dinner. Do you want to help me in the kitchen?" She looked at their guest. He looked hesitant, but Relda waited patiently for him, and he slowly followed her down the stairs.

Basil practically pressed himself against the wall to push himself out of the stranger's way, glaring at him as he went. Henry was shocked when his dad reached out and grabbed Jake, pulled him away from the man's reach. Something really weird was going on here.

"Basil, can you get the boys situated?" Relda asked. When he didn't answer she sighed and shook her head. "Please, just for tonight. If something happens, or if you're still not comfortable with it, then we can find a new solution, but for now, he doesn't have anywhere else to go."

Basil looked drained. "One night. We'll discuss more in the morning." He looked at Henry. "You're staying with your brother tonight."

"Dad, what's going on?" Henry followed his dad and brother upstairs. Goldilocks held his hand firmly, offering grounding support. "Who is that man?"

"The Big Bad Wolf." Basil nearly growled. Henry and Jacob's eyes grew wide. "Why your mother thinks it's a good idea to let him into our home…" He trailed off, shaking his head. He led the others into Henry's room, where Sheriff Hamstead was going through every nook and cranny. Henry felt his face go red with frustration and embarrassment. He must have been making a face, because Sheriff Hamstead raised an eyebrow at him.

"Sorry about this, Henry, but the Wolf is going to be staying here for a little bit, so I thought it would be best if we wolf-proofed the place a bit." Sheriff Hamstead said. "Just making sure there's no weapons or magical toys lying around, just in case he tries to turn on you."

Jacob, who always jumped into danger with a laugh, looked nervous. He fiddled with his sleeves. "He's not actually the Wolf, is he?"

"Afraid so, kid." Sheriff Hamstead said. He sounded far too calm about this. Hamstead didn't seem nervous at all about the monster staying as a house guest. He seemed more curious than anything, and Henry felt like he was missing something important.

"And he's really staying here?" Henry crossed his arms and looked at his dad. "You can't be okay with this."

Basil sighed and sat on Henry's bed. "Honestly, I'm not, but you know how stubborn your mother is." He shook his head. "She thinks that people deserve a second chance, and that we shouldn't judge an Everafter off of second hand accounts of what they did two hundred years ago. She thought that if we could trust Frau Pfefferkuchenhaus as your dentist, and Principal Hamelin to not drown you in the river, then it's just fair that we give our guest the benefit of the doubt that he won't eat us."

"But what if he does try to eat us?" Jacob asked quietly. Henry would normally tease him for sounding so scared of a creature that they had always seen as a monster under their bed. He didn't say a word though, because even though he wasn't going to admit it, he was nervous about the same thing.

"We'll take precautions." Basil said quietly, almost conspiratorially. "Jacob, go find the futon and set it up in your room. Henry, get the personal things you'd want to have for a few days, just in case." He stood up. "Sheriff, because I know Relda would smack me over the head if I didn't offer, do you want to stay for dinner?"

Hamstead looked excited at the prospect of food, like he always did. "I might take you up on that." He looked at the three Grimms, and he seemed to tell that he wasn't welcome in the room at that very moment. He cleared his throat. "I'll go help Relda with the food." He left the room, and Basil closed the doors behind them. He looked at Jacob.

"Do you still have the stash of wands, potions, and amulets that your mother would confiscate if she saw you with them?" Basil asked. Jacob could be very sneaky sometimes, but as soon as he was called out he lost all of his composure. His face went red and he smirked sheepishly.

"Maybe." Jacob said.

"Make sure you know where it is, and everything's accounted for." Basil said. "Distribute things with your brother. If things come to it, you need to be ready to protect yourselves."

Jacob's eyes narrowed and he nodded. He ran out of the room. Basil gave Henry a meaningful look before he left the room as well. Henry took a deep breath and looked at Goldilocks.

"Can you-" He began to ask, but he didn't have to finish. She knew him well.

"I'll get your things." Goldilocks kissed his cheek. "Go do what you need to do." He gave her an appreciative smile and ran after his dad. He couldn't see the older man in the hall, but he had an idea of where he went. It was the same place he went whenever he felt like there was a threat. The Hall of Wonders.

Basil believed that the best protection against magic was more magic. He'd trained Henry and Jacob to do the same, though at the moment they were both grounded from the Hall until Jacob graduated from school, both as a punishment for one too many magical pranks, and because their mom hoped that they would be more responsible with magic when they were older.

Jacob knew his dad though. He knew that he considered this to be an emergency, and that in cases of emergency, previous rules didn't necessarily apply.

Basil was standing in front of the mirror, talking to the magical being. Henry hung back, waiting as his dad gave Mirror a list of magical tools that he thought would help them with the Wolf, if they so needed to. He waited until Mirror went to get what he was asked for. As soon as he was alone with his dad, he stepped forward.

"Dad?" Henry's voice sounded more vulnerable than he usually dared to be in front of his girlfriend or little brother, but this was his dad. He was one of the two people that he could allow himself to be weak in front of. Maybe in a few years he wouldn't feel the same way, but he was barely more than a kid, and he often felt like he had no idea what he was doing. Sometimes he needed to know that he had his parents around to rely on.

Basil turned towards him and approached Henry, pulling him into his arms. Henry couldn't help but sniffle as he let himself feel a rush of fear.

"It's okay, Hank." Basil said. "I'm scared too." Basil had always been reluctant to allow any Everafters in the house, because he didn't really know who was friend or foe. Even Everafters who acted like their friends could just be playing the long-game, earning the Grimm's trust over generations before striking. It was a terrifying thought, and it was a fear that Henry didn't want to admit he started to have too.

"What if he does something?" Henry asked.

"We'll be ready for him." Basil said. "I'll keep an eye on your mother tonight, but I need you to protect your brother. Don't let him pick a fight with the Wolf, and if the beast starts to attack us, I'll hold it off as long as I can, and I want you to get your brother out of here. Leave Ferryport if you have to."

Henry stiffened. "You want us to run?"

"I want you to be safe." Basil said. "Can I count on you to keep an eye on your brother?"

It was a big responsibility, and Henry hated the thought of leaving his parents in potential danger, but his dad was right. As the older brother, it was his job to keep Jacob safe, even if it meant abandoning their parents.

"I'll take care of him." Henry said quietly. His dad gave him a proud smile. "I know you will. Now, go get the room ready. I'll get you the magic carpet and other things you might need." He stepped into the magic mirror, leaving Henry alone.

He rubbed his eyes and gave himself a few minutes to gather himself and banish his tears. He couldn't show that weakness to Goldilocks or Jake. He was supposed to be strong for them. If he let Jacob know that he was scared, or else his younger brother would get scared too.

Steeling himself, he finally left the room and returned to his own. He tried not to think about the fact that the Wolf would be sleeping in his room tonight. He told himself that he was just staying in Jacob's rule because they were having a sleepover. It wouldn't be the first time, though it wasn't usually in such bad circumstances.

They were Grimms. This was what they lived for. They protected each other, and they dealt with the monsters that most people had the privilege of thinking were make-believe. Granted, they didn't usually deal with those monsters by inviting them over for dinner and saying they could stay the night, but their family didn't really do things the normal way.

At times like this though Henry wished that their family was more normal.