Once Upon A Child

Bucket Full of Sunshine

Since the vanquishing of Fiona, the Black Fairy, and starting their happy beginning, Snow and Charming became acutely aware of the fact they had boundless amounts of time to spend teaching, farming and being parents to Emma and Neal. Their family was thriving and they couldn't be happier. However, they soon began to realise they had so much happiness and love to offer that they wanted it to benefit not only their own family, but other families too.

Since the influx of lost or orphaned children that came from the Land of Untold Stories, Storybrooke's orphanage: Misthaven Home for Children, was increasingly busier than usual. The fairies did a good job at running it with Mother Superior, the Blue Fairy, managing much of the home, but it wasn't ideal. The children needed individual homes and families to go to.

Therefore, the pair decided to volunteer their time to help. They started off volunteering a few hours here and there. Smaller things such as Snow leading baking lessons at the home and Charming offering his knowledge and tools to do general handyman work.

The love they shared for the orphanage grew and soon the couple were offering their farm and stables as excursions for the children to help out for a day. It was exciting for the children to experience the different scenery and also the warmth and love they were bathed in by Snow and Charming.

It got to the point where 2 or 3 different children would join them at the farm every Saturday. It was great for the couple as they were able to shower the children in the praise and love that they hadn't been able to give Emma until she was no longer a child, and Neal was still too young to truly benefit from their teachings. It was like they were back in the Enchanted Forest; helping the citizens of their kingdom, except they were able to play a much more direct part in the happiness.

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The day eventually came when they found that one boy was not as keen as any of the other children that had joined them at the farm. He was a young boy with platinum blonde hair which seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. His pale skin and blue eyes stood out against his dull clothes. On this particular day, the Nolans were entertaining him, another boy and a girl.

His name was Joe. Unlike some of the other children, this was his first visit to the farm. Aiden and Ophelia had told Snow and Charming that he never spoke. Not to the other children and not even to the fairies, so no one ever spoke to him or wanted to play with him either. Upon hearing this, it broke their shared heart.

As Charming helped Aiden and Ophelia care for their sheep, he noticed Joe perched on a nearby hay bale. He was always close to the group but never too much. Whilst the two children giggled amongst the sheep, Charming took the opportunity to wander over to the small boy. He was staring intensely at his reflection on the side of a bucket when the man sat beside him. It seemed to scare the poor boy, his shoulders hunching suddenly, so Charming quickly retreated from the seat.

Joe placed the bucket tenderly on the ground before looking in the opposite direction to Charming, his hands in constant war with each other to out-squeeze the other. Remembering the bad first reaction, Charming made sure to pace himself, moving with slower gestures to hopefully make the boy feel more relaxed.

Crouching to his eye level, Charming attempted to converse with him. He hated to see any child in isolation, especially when they came to the farm. He'd had other children that were nervous to meet the animals, anxious over the enthusiasm and safety the couple provided, and many a child who was disappointed when they had to return to the group home. But all in all, he or Snow had succeeded in brightening their attitudes towards their new lives here in Storybrooke. It would be difficult to do this though if the boy didn't even acknowledge Charming was present.