OQ One Shots (#OQPromptParty)

Day 5 - Cursed Happy Ending

Henry

I coughed as I landed on the cold, hard concrete of downtown Storybrooke, knocking the wind out of my lungs as I frantically looked around for my mother's husband, my nerves skyrocketing as I noted all the changes in the scenery of the town.

"Henry? Oh thank God!" Robin cried from around the corner, his arms full with a damp bundle, my brand new little sister whimpering from the cold.

I exhaled nervously and stared at the baby that was only twenty minutes old, old enough to be detached from my mother with a pair of shears and handed over to her father, the open time portal providing the only safe place for the new princess, being threatened by the presence of the Dark One. His thirst for power was driving him mad, and the pure magic that was inherited by my sister in-utero was stronger than any witch or sorceress in all the realms.

The devastated cries of my mother still lingered in my ears as I approached the thief, my mind racing as I tried to figure out where, or rather, when we were. The technology didn't seem terribly different, but I could tell that the cars were aged a bit more, and there were more pay phones on street corners, revealing the lack of cellular devices. Robin's worried mutters distracted me from my detective work, but I could tell that he was just as stressed about caring for his newborn daughter.

"I can take her." I offered, scooping my sister into my arms before placing my pinky in her suckling mouth that was whimpering for her absent food source. Robin waited a beat to guess what time period we had fallen into when a black Mercedes Benz skidded to the curb, my mother jumping out with a frantic look on her face, tears streaking her cheeks.

By the darker lines of makeup around her eyes, and the stiff business suits she sported, I could tell that this was long before her redemption, and that she was still the feared mayor that governed this ungratefully miserable town.

I grabbed Robin's arm and ducked us both behind the corner, watching as she raced up the steps to Archie's practice, her black stilettos clicking against the wet pavement. I held my breath and waited until I heard a frustrated growl, followed by more angry clicks of her heels down the steps.

Graham met her halfway and caught her trembling shoulders, making Robin tense up behind me with jealousy. "Remind me to knock this man in the teeth when we get home." He muttered in frustration, but I just chuckled dryly and looked back at him with a smirk.

"She already beat you to it." I chuckled, but he tilted his head in confusion and urged me to continue. "Ma killed him after he dumped her." I recalled, the situation a tad more comical after I learned from Emma about her mistreatment by him.

"But you will do nothing to change the course of the future, if you do, all of us could disappear." I warned, recalling the old 80's film where something similar had happened, along with the mess involving my aunt and his ex wife.

"Fine." He grumbled, checking on his brand new daughter to see if she was alright, his calloused finger brushing against her soft cheek.

"So we need to get some magic to get home, my mom has her vault full of stuff, but from the looks of it, the curse is still cast." I groaned, Robin craned his neck in confusion and waited for me to explain my theory that was making my stomach twist.

"This is the day I ran away from home and found Emma." I muttered, making Robin's eyes widen with shock and awareness.

"Let's just go." I groaned, pulling him along the street in a hurry before crashing into someone, all of us tumbling to the floor.