We Can Love Again

The Photograph

This is a Henry and Regina bonding time chapter :) And I didn't forget about Rumple!

Two days before...

Leaves crunched beneath his irritated footsteps. Where could they be?

The man looked around the oddly silent forest, not really sure what to think about the scene in front of him. The Lost Boys camp was completely desolate, not a living soul was there. Kneeling down, Rumplestiltskin ran his finger across the green grass blades, picking up a fine black dust. Seeing this, he let out a frustrated growl, standing up and brushing away the dust.

So it was true, he thought, they killed him.

But it just wasn't possible. He knew for a fact even Regina and Emma's magic combined couldn't stop Pan. Then how did they manage to do it? Even more so, why did they leave him behind?

He opened his hand and let loose a blue colored spurge of magic, creating a portal in front of him with the image of the Enchanted Forest reflecting inside it. If Peter Pan was truly dead, then the magic keeping him here was completely obliterated.
After he thought about things, though, the image flickered and morphed into another destination- Storybrooke. He realized he could see Belle again and tell her that everything was alright. He was curious to see how she and everyone else were managing without them there.

And after he was done, he would return back to the Enchanted Forest where he would have a chat with the queen and finally get to the bottom of things.

"So what are we gonna do today?" Henry asked, his voice still groggy with sleep.

Their temporary living space was still fairly dark; small rays of light pierced through the small windowsill. Regina sat up and rubbed her eyes. Everyone in the crowded room was still half asleep.

"I dunno kid," Emma groaned, "I need more sleep."

"I told some old friends of mine that we'd meet up with them today," Snow said, already fully awake, "that's what we're doing today."

"I don't want to..." Emma replied in protest to her mother.

"It'll be fun, promise." David jumped into the conversation, "everyone wants to see the long lost Princess Emma."

Henry scrunched up his nose. "Mom," he said to Regina, "I don't really want to hang around a bunch of adults... Maybe we could do something today."

Regina wasn't sure she heard him right. Her son actually wanted to do something with her? That was a first.

"Like what?"

He shrugged. "Um... Any place you want I guess. You did live here right?"

"Where else would I have lived?" Regina replied, a small smile soon replacing her sarcasm. "I think I have somewhere in mind- if you're up for it, that is."

Henry grinned. "Of course I am!"

Regina loved her son, but she honestly had no idea why he was suddenly being so nice towards her. For months, he would barely give her a sideways glance. It was always about Emma. Emma's perfect, Emma's the hero, Emma's a better mother...

But no matter how much he had hurt her in the past, she would always love him. She loved Henry from the minute she held him in her arms for the first time. She seemed to do that with everyone close to her in the past- her father, Owen, even her mother. Regina Mills loved deeper than most.

Henry stood in an open field, a white blindfold covering his face.

"Can you give me a hint to where we are?" He asked impatiently.