All Magic Comes With a Price:

Page 76: Happily Ever After:

Meanwhile...

Dream was sitting on the bed, while the twins were on a little baby pillow, as Dream was reading Henry's storybook that he let her borrow. She was reading the part of Gold and Hook's story, while Hook was looking at the "modern" clothes that Dream got him since the pirate outfit was all he wore. 

Their plan was to live their lives with their kids since there was no other threat at the moment.

It was time for some normalcy in their lives.

""...I remember you. From the bar." The village coward weakly said to the pirate captain who was smirking, smugly, at the coward. "It's always nice to make an impression." The pirate captain smirked, taunting the coward man, which caused his whole pirate crew to laugh. "Where are my manners? We haven't been formally introduced. Killian Jones. Now, what are you doing aboard my ship?" The pirate captain continued, after properly introducing himself. "Well... You have my wife." The coward mumbled out, weary of the pirate in front of him..." Dream said, reading from Henry's book, while she looked at her babies. 

Little Evangeline was just looking at her, not sure about this story. And little Sebastian was smiling as he fiddled with the blanket that was covering them. It was so cute that even though they were only a couple of months old, they already had their own personalities.

"Well, I've had many a man's wife," Hook smirked when he walked back from the bathroom, holding a V-neck, navy shirt.

"Funny." Dream smirked when he walked over kissing her head, before moving to check the other clothes that she got him. 

"Well, that's what I said, love." Hook shrugged when he tossed the navy shirt on the bed. "So, I guess we're trapped in your bedroom because your mother has a man downstairs?" Hook asked when Dream chuckled at the sound of Hook's comment.

"She's on a date with Robin Hood. It's cute." Dream shrugged when she flipped the page of Henry's book.

"You don't think your mother seeing someone is weird?"

"No... My mom has only me and Henry for my whole life. It's nice that she's finally found someone." Dream smiled, when she looked at her babies, trying to get Evangeline to smile like her brother was. "Do you think we will ever get a chance to have a date, at least?" Dream asked, turning to look at Hook, who was holding up dark-washed jeans.

"I hope so, love. We may have not gone in the proper direction, but I am still old-fashioned." Hook smirked at her when she chuckled at him.

"Old-fashioned? Like courting me and asking my father for my hand in marriage?" Dream asked, raising her brow when Hook scratched the back of his neck. 

"Maybe not that old-fashioned, love... We can probably skip that step." Hook said, causing Dream to chuckle again. 

"Maybe..." Dream smirked before she grabbed her phone when it buzzed by her side.

"What is it, love?" Hook asked her when she looked shocked.

"Turns out my father is marrying Belle. He just asked me to be her maid of honor..." 

"Maid-of-honor?" Hook asked her when he moved to sit on the bed. 

"It's like the bride's right hand during the wedding day. He says they just want a small ceremony with their family. He asked Neal and Henry to be there too. And wants the twins there too." Dream said, looking at the text from her father. "Shame he didn't ask his oldest "mate."" Dream smirked, looking up at Hook, who just shook his head at her comment.

"Aye. Hilarious, love." Hook smirked, shaking his head at her.

Dream put her phone back down when she looked back at her babies. Sebastian was trying to take his little sock off, and Evangeline still looked unamused as she yawned. Dream closed Henry's storybook when she moved it to the side.

"A long time ago, in a far-off land, there was a girl who had just got thrown into a world that she was very unfamiliar with..." Dream started to tell another story, when Hook furrowed his brows, laying down on his side as he listened to her. "Little did she know that this strange land would lead her to the man that would become her first love." Dream smiled, looking at her little family.

"And little did the man, who was a devilishly handsome pirate, know that this girl would drive him crazy until he realized he was in love with her," Hook smirked, when Dream nudged his arm, blushing.

"And then, a year or two later, they would welcome a sweet little prince and princess into the world who would make their lives whole." Dream smiled when she leaned down to kiss her babies' cheek. "And they would live happily ever after," Dream added when she looked at the two smiling babies. 

Dream did not remember the day, but her mother did the same thing the day she decided to keep Henry. She told him a story while making a potion to forget about learning about Henry's birth mother, all those years ago. And here was Dream, doing the same thing with her own babies. 

*Twelve Years Ago*

The day after Regina decided to keep Henry, she walked to her vault in the cemetery. Dream was fast asleep in the stroller, while Henry was wide awake in his car seat. Dream had a long day at school, so Regina just let her sleep.

After walking into the vault, Regina placed her hand on the engraved title of 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.

Regina turned to Henry as she saw that he was crying and Dream was still asleep. She chuckled a bit to herself since she did not know how Dream could sleep through the crying. "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.

~seasons 2 & 3, episodes 4 & 9: "The Crocodile" and "Save Henry"~

~1295 words~