Once Upon a Dream:

Page 99: Henry's Okay:

Eleven years ago.

Storybrooke, Maine.

"Regina, I'm just so pleased. I'll admit, I was concerned. And I'm just so glad the way things worked out." Dr. Hopper smiled, watching Regina look at baby Henry in his bassinet while Dream played with her baby doll, Apple, in the living room. 

"There's just one problem, Dr. Hopper. I'm afraid, no, I'm dreading that Henry's birth mother and Dream's biological father will wake up one day full of regret over leaving them and come here to take them away." Regina sighed, confessing her fears to Dr. Hopper.

"Wasn't it a closed adoption? And I thought Dream's father died when she was a year old?" Dr. Hopper asked before sighing to himself. "I mean, you're both perfectly anonymous to each other, right? You're watching your little girl grow up and discover herself. And you are just entering Henry's life." Dr. Hopper said as Regina looked down at Henry, then over to Dream, who was fixing the eye patch on her pirate doll.

"Yes, but I'm worried about something bigger than the law is at play." Regina sighed, looking back at Hopper. "Fate. Destiny." Regina continued to sigh, looking over at Dream, who was walking over because of a tear on her baby doll's dress. 

"This seems to me like you've made your own destiny." Dr. Hopper smiled as Regina put Dream on her lap.

"But there's still someone out there who could destroy it." Regina continued to sound worried. 

"Regina, if you keep worrying about the future, you'll never enjoy the present. These kids have brought something to you, love. Revel in that. Revel in being a mother." Dr. Hopper smiled at her, making Regina smile at her kids.

After Dr. Hopper left, Regina took her kids to the cemetery. Dream was fast asleep in the stroller, while Henry was wide awake in his car seat. Regina placed her hand on the engraved title on her father's coffin. "Thank you, Father." Regina smiled, holding baby Henry in her arms as Dream was napping. Regina put Henry back in his car seat on the stroller when she headed down to her vault. She started to make a spell while she thought of a story to tell Henry. "Once upon a time, there was a queen. And she cast a glorious curse that gave her everything she wanted, or so she thought." Regina said, smiling at Henry before turning to her potion. "She despaired when she learned that revenge was not enough. She was lonely." Regina said, looking over at Dream's rose that was preserved by her magic or the remains of her magic. "And so, she searched the land for a little girl and a little boy to be her princess and prince. And then she found them. And though they lived happily, it was not ever after. There was still an evil out there lurking. The queen was worried for her princess and prince's safety. While she knew she could vanquish any threat to her children, she also knew she couldn't raise them worrying. No. She needed to put her own troubles aside and put her children first." Regina said, pouring ingredients into the cup. "And so, the queen procured an ancient potion of forgetting." Regina continued, but she stopped when Henry started to cry. "Oh, it's all right. If the queen drinks the potion, she won't forget her children. She'll only forget her worries..." Regina smiled at Henry before pouring one last ingredient into the cup. "Her troubles. Her fears. And with those gone, she and her children can indeed finally live happily ever after." Regina smiled before drinking the potion.

The cup and the ingredients vanished as Regina inhaled from the memory slipping from her mind. Henry started to cry as Regina quickly turned to him. 

"Hello, Henry." Regina smiled, picking him up. "What shall we do today?" Regina smiled at him, looking down at Dream, who was fast asleep, or so Regina thought.

Present day.

Aboard the Jolly Roger.

Regina took Henry below the deck as the rest of the group watched Neal and Dream free Gold. 

Once Gold was out, he looked over at his daughter and son, hugging both of them. "Where's Henry?" Gold asked the two of them. 

"He's safe. He's safe." Neal reassured his dad. 

"I told you I wasn't gonna hurt the boy," Gold said to his children.

"I know; I'm sorry. Why didn't you tell me Pan was your father?" Neal asked his father. 

"Because I didn't want either of you to know that I was as bad a father as he was. Because we're both the same, me and him. Because we both abandoned our kids." Gold said, confessing his worries. 

"No. You're not the same." Dream fought, smiling at him. 

"You came back for me, Papa." Neal smiled, hugging his father again.

"He's back," Emma said, turning to her parents, while Dream looked over to Hook, who gave her a small smile. "That means..." Emma continued before David spoke up.

"He can cure me." David smiled at his daughter. 

"We can go home. A family." Mary Margaret smiled as they hugged their daughter.

Just then, Dream gasped, getting a bad feeling as Hook raised a brow while Gold turned to look at her, holding the scared-looking girl. 

"What's wrong?" Neal asked, resting a hand on his sister's shoulder. 

"Pan." Dream mumbled, making Gold rush down to save Henry, locking Pan in the box. "Henry?" Dream asked as she and Regina hurried over to Henry. 

"It's okay. I'm okay." Henry said as Dream got a weird feeling.

"Are you sure?" Dream asked him when she tried ignoring the weird feeling. He had been through a lot. 

"He's a strong boy, Regina. You raised them well." Gold said as Regina smiled.

The three of them left Henry to go up to the deck to trap Pan's shadow in one of the sails, so they could get home. Regina and Dream waited while Neal went to put the coconut in the cannon. The others moved out of the way. 

"Ready, Regina, Dream?" Emma asked, holding a lighter to light the cannon. 

Regina nodded as Emma lit the cannon when Neal released the shadow. Regina and Dream used their magic, holding onto the shadow, when they forced him to the sail, trapping him inside of it. The white sail turned black.

"You think it will fly?" Emma asked aloud.

"It has no choice." Regina smiled, looking at what she and her daughter did together. 

"Then let's get out of Neverland." Dream spoke up, wanting to go home. 

"As you wish, m'lady. Boatswain, weigh anchor!" Hook said, moving the wheel, flying them in the sky.

~season 3, episode 9: "Save Henry"~

~1108 words~