We Can Love Again

An Act of Courage

Prepare for intense brother to brother feels in this chapter. Secrets are finally revealed!

---

Somehow, Robin knew exactly where to find his son. He was back behind the hospital, sitting with his back against the brick as he finished off his sandwich, his head bent against the high risen sun.

"Okay Henry, we're getting to the bottom of all of this. Are you in?" He asked, causing the boy to glance up at him, a grin quickly spreading onto his face.

"You mean we're going to see Will?" He seemed a tad but cautious upon asking.

His father nodded. "But you have to have to do exactly as I say. Your mother was right when she said that what happened is a very serious issue. Roland could have died because of his actions... Thank God he didn't."

There was a moment of silence between them before Henry spoke again.

"I can do that, I promise. We're not telling Mom about this... Right?"

She would murder them both if she found out.

Robin sighed. "No, we're not. I can tell her that I took you with me to pick up Caroline."

Undeniably, he was going to confront her about the fate of his brother. But he knew she would get upset; and with all the wedding stuff going on, it probably wasn't the best idea.

"And, we have groomsmen practice tonight, with or without Ruby barking directions at us."

The twelve year old raised an eyebrow. "Will is a part of that though- he's supposed to be your best man. Is he going to be kicked out of the wedding?"

That was a great question. Robin hadn't even thought about that issue yet. "For now... I would say yes."

He figured that was what he would say. "So are we headed for his apartment?"

"No... Um, he's still at the station."

Henry's eyes widened like saucers. "She locked him up?!"

"Well technically your other mother did. But that doesn't mean we can't talk to him. What do you say, should we get going?"

Turning his eyes to the ground, he thought hard for a moment. "But... What if... What if Will does something like that again? What if Mom is right, what if we can't trust him anymore?"

Putting a hand on Henry's shoulder, Robin gave him a set look. "We all make mistakes, don't we? It'll take time, but he's family- family always forgives each other. Just look at your mother; she loved you before she met Roland and I, but she was the evil queen. I had Roland and my Merry Men, but I've done things I'm not proud of. The two most unlikely people came together and became a family, proving that it's possible to love again. I didn't give up on her, and because of it, I discovered the most beautiful and amazing woman I could ever dream of marrying. So you tell me- are we going to give your uncle another chance?"

A few seconds ticked by, and Henry was completely lost in thought. He remembered then, almost like an epiphany, that the entire reason for the last year of their lives was to allow second chances, on all accounts.

"Okay. Let's call this... Operation Dragon."

Robin smiled. "Sounds fitting. Let's go see Will."

--

He was quite aware that the path they were taking was dangerous and unpredictable. There was the chance that Will would be just as angry with them as he was with Regina. Robin had no idea what they would find at the station, but one thing was certain- his side of the story was going to be told. Though he hadn't been in his younger brother's life for a very long time, he still saw him as that eleven year old that always got into things he shouldn't. Their father always got onto him when he messed up, telling him that he needed to become a man. But his little brother William was a free spirit; he was tough, and didn't like to be told what to do. Hearing about his adventures in Wonderland made him believe that he had given himself a good life, one better than anything he could have given him under the circumstances that were in.