Chapter Text
Henry knew something was wrong the moment his mom told him there would be no school today.
"How about we go on a trip?"
Henry turned to look at her, brows furrowed. He wondered if this was her way of dealing with her breakup with Walsh.
Even if she insisted she made the right decision.
"Like a vacation?" Henry asked, walking slowly back to the kitchen bar, standing across from Emma.
"Like I have a new case."
Henry sat down, waiting for the moment his mom started making sense again.
"It's in Maine and it might take me a while," Emma continued with her suggestion that made no sense. "And I think we should go. It would be an adventure."
Something still wasn't adding up. If cases like this ever came up, Emma would decline them or make sure it was during one of Henry's breaks.
Still, he leaned forward, unable to stop the feeling of excitement rushing through him at the prospect of joining Emma on one of her cases. "No school? A trip with you? Sold." He grinned up at her, already imagining the mother-son bonding time they would have.
Maybe then he could really get it out of her why she said no to Walsh.
"Good, 'cause I already packed," Emma said, giving him a smile and a wink.
"When do we leave?" It had to be soon, if she had already packed without even telling him.
"Now," she said, turning from him to put away the jug of orange juice.
Before he could truly process how quickly they were leaving, there was a knock on the door. For some reason, it brought him straight back to that morning a couple days ago. An unexpected knock on the door that Emma went to answer. When she came back after sending whoever it was away, she looked absolutely bewildered.
"Are you expecting someone?" Henry asked, repeating the same question from a couple days ago.
This time, however, he noticed Emma giving him a strange look and holding back a smile. "Yeah," she answered, before walking away to answer the door.
Henry stayed at his seat, straining a little to see who she could possibly be expecting when they were supposed to be leaving on a trip right now.
Henry heard heavy footsteps enter the apartment followed by the voice of an unfamiliar man. "You ready, Swan?"
Henry stood up, seeing a man come in, and his mom running after him.
For some reason, Henry knew in his bones that this man was the reason why Emma broke things off with Walsh.
Suspicion gnawed at him as he stared at this stranger. But he couldn't help thinking that there was something familiar about him...
"Henry, this is Killian. He's...I'm , um...I'm helping him with his case," Emma said, standing next to the man and resting her hands on her hips.
She only ever stood like that when she was trying to hide the truth about something. Posture tall and confident to give the illusion that she was definitely not lying.
Henry frowned a little, staring at this man.
Dressed as if he had come from a renaissance faire.
Then Henry remembered why he seemed so familiar.
He was the man that Emma helped the police arrest.
"Did you skip bail?" he asked, feeling even more as if things weren't adding up.
"Oh, he's still a little spitfire," Killian said, now looking to Emma.
"Still?"
Everything inside of him was telling him something was wrong, and he looked to his mom for some kind of confirmation that things were okay.
Especially since she only seemed to smile and breathe out an amused huff at Killian's statement.
"He's not a perp, he's a client," she said, not even addressing the 'still'.
Well, if his mom wasn't going to admit to the strangeness of this situation, Henry was just going to have to point out everything until she finally did.
"Why are you dressed like that?" Henry asked.
In a surprising turn of events, Killian actually looked offended by Henry's question and gestured towards his clothes. "Why are you dressed like that?"
"All right, all right. Just make yourself useful, Killian, and get our bags," Emma said instead of turning this man away and admitting this whole thing was crazy. "Henry, lend him a hand," she said with the hint of a smirk as she walked away from them both.
"Wait, we're really going?" Henry stammered out.
Could she really not see the red flags waving and flashing over Killian's head?
"Yes," she said simply, handing Henry his coat, before heading off to her room.
Henry eyed Killian the entire time, grabbing a bag while Killian lifted the other.
The two of them silently made their way down the stairs and to the parking garage. Henry kept a close eye on Killian, trying to figure out just who exactly this man was.
And he could tell Killian seemed to be trying to figure out something to say.
What could he possibly have to say to him though?
Once the bags were settled in the trunk, they heard the sound of Emma's boots echoing in the concrete garage.
Henry narrowed his eyes a little as he took in the coat Emma was wearing.
A red leather jacket.
He didn't even know she owned one.
"Ready?" she asked as she approached the car.
"Aye, Swan. We don't want it to get dark on us," Killian said as he opened the door and climbed in.
Emma went to follow suit, but Henry stopped her.
"How long are we going to be gone?"
Emma pursed her lips, almost as if she hadn't considered that question.
"Just a few days," she answered a few moments later. "It'll be a quick trip. I just need to help Killian out with this problem."
It's what Henry kept reminding himself of as they started on their drive to Maine. Especially as the first hour of the drive consisted of Killian flipping through all the radio stations, complaining about the lack of good music.
Henry put his headphones in, not wanting to hear any of their conversation.
He kept his headphones in for most of the ride, dozing in and out, texting some of his friends once they were out of school, and playing all the games he could until his lives ran out.
There was nothing left to do, and still two more hours left in their road trip. He closed his eyes, hoping to sleep some more. But this time, he turned down the volume of his music and could hear the low murmurings of Emma and Killian.
"How did you even find me? New York is huge," Emma said quietly.
Killian hummed. "How many times do I have to remind you? I'm a pirate. And a bloody good one at that. I always find whatever treasure I'm looking for."
What. The. Hell?
Henry let out a deep breath, turning up the volume a little bit and tried even harder to sleep.
That's what must have happened because when he opened his eyes again, the car had come to a stop. They were off the highway, on a small road out in the middle of nowhere and Henry blinked, trying to see more in the darkness of night.
But the only thing he could see was his mom and Killian, standing outside in front of the headlights, surrounded by a forest in the background.
It looked like they were arguing.
Henry almost got out, but then something strange happened.
Emma, his mom, who always carried so much tension in her shoulders, never let down her guard, never let anyone see her cry, began crying.
That wasn't the strange thing though.
It was when Killian pulled her into a hug.
Her face was buried in his chest and her arms dangled at her side for a few moments, before they curled into him, hands gripping the lapels of his jacket.
His mom, the woman who shied away from physical affection from anyone but Henry, who made sure she could stand on her own without any support, was leaning on this stranger for comfort.
What was going on?
The moment only lasted a few seconds. Then Emma was straightening, giving herself a small shake. She said something with her everyday mask on, but Killian's face showed concern as he responded.
He rested his hand on her shoulder, leaning in and Henry was almost positive he could read his lips.
"It's okay to not be okay, Swan."
Emma let his touch linger for a few seconds before stepping back, lowering her head as she said something. Killian gave a nod and then the two of them moved to get back in the car.
Henry quickly pressed his head against the window again, closing his eyes to pretend he had been asleep the entire time.
"I think I saw a sign for a town about forty miles back. We can find a motel and stay there for the night," Emma said, voice quiet as she thought Henry was still asleep.
"And then?" Killian asked, matching her quiet tone.
Henry counted to five before Emma responded.
"I don't know."
Henry didn't try falling asleep in the car again. Not since Emma was pulling into a motel parking lot half an hour later.
When she parked right by the entrance, Henry sat up, giving an exaggerated yawn as he stretched. "Are we here?" he asked, already knowing the answer to his question.
"Not exactly," Emma said, turning to look at him. "There's been a change of plans, and we're going to have to stay here for the night."
Henry looked to the motel, and a hundred different memories filled his mind.
When he was little, and Emma was trying to find a steady job. They would have to stay in motels like this for several weeks before they would move to a different city.
He nodded, not wanting to voice his desire to stay anywhere but a motel. He'd even be willing to sleep in the car.
It wasn't like they hadn't done that before.
Emma gave Henry a smile before looking to Killian with a raised eyebrow in a silent threat.
Wait, his mom was trusting Killian to stay with him alone?
What was going on?
"Did you manage to sleep, lad?" Killian asked the moment Emma had gone inside the front office.
Henry gave a shrug and a noncommittal grunt in reply. He kept his eyes on the front office window, watching Emma ring the bell and wait for someone to come out.
"I apologize for any changes I might have caused in your normal routine," Killian continued. "I thought perhaps this...case would be a bit easier."
Henry looked at Killian, the other man barely able to look at him as he stayed in his seat, head slightly tilted back to look at Henry through the corner of his eye. "What's the case exactly?"
"The usual. Missing person."
"Who's missing?"
Killian pursed his lips, turning to look into the office as Emma was finally able to talk to someone. Then he turned this time to better look at Henry. "Doesn't matter. But again, I apologize."
Henry gave a small shrug, now looking down at his phone and wishing the charge was at more than the current five percent. "It's fine," Henry said as he pocketed his phone. "Got to skip school today and I'll probably miss it tomorrow."
"Still looking on the bright side of things, I see."
Henry frowned a little. The way Killian phrased it made it seem like he knew him. And his earlier comment rang in his head.
"Oh, he's still a little spitfire."
There was no way Killian could know him.
Killian seemed to have caught himself though because he quickly asked something else. "So, have you read any good books recently? Perhaps some fairytales?"
Henry shook his head. "I don't think I've read a fairytale since I was six."
And Henry couldn't be sure if it was because of the lighting or his own drowsiness, but Killian's face seemed to fall at that information.
Henry wanted to ask why he was upset at that. Why his mom had been crying earlier. Why she had let him hug her, even if it was just for a few seconds.
He wanted to ask what the hell was going on.
But Emma came back to the car, a grim expression on her face. "Well, they only have one room. There's some kind of pie festival going on this week and the guy at the desk said we're not going to find anything else."
"It's fine, love. I'll sleep in here," Killian said.
Which seemed perfectly reasonable to Henry.
Why would they want to share a room with a complete stranger?
"Killian, it's fine. You can stay in the room too. We'll figure out sleeping arrangements. Besides, I don't think your back could handle sleeping in here."
And there was a teasing look in Emma's eyes that Henry hadn't ever seen.
As if she was flirting.
First off, gross.
Secondly, she hadn't even looked at Walsh like that. Why was she looking at Killian like that? He was a stranger. Someone Emma had helped arrest.
Little by little, Henry's world wasn't making sense anymore.
His questions went to the back of his mind though as they gathered their bags and went into the small room.
Emma sent him to shower. He didn't argue, as it would give him a chance to push down all those memories of his childhood, hopping from motel to motel until Emma finally found that job in New York.
Those memories never felt right in his mind. As if he were trying to fit into shoes that were a size too small.
He didn't want to think about those years.
So instead, he tried to figure out what was going on with his mom and this Killian.
Henry turned on the water in the shower and leaned against the bathroom door, correctly guessing that Emma and Killian would have a conversation with Henry out of the small room.
"Swan, really. I can sleep on the floor. I have no issue with it," came Killian's muffled voice.
"Nope. Trust me on this. You are not going to want to sleep on that floor. I wouldn't even walk on it without socks. It's fine. Henry and I can share a bed and you take the other. He hasn't entered full-blown teenagerhood yet and is completely embarrassed by me."
They were quiet for a few seconds before Killian spoke up. "He's grown a lot this past year."
"Yeah. He has. He's a good kid."
"Of course he is. Takes after you."
They knew each other. But how?
And then there was a sinking feeling in his gut as his mind came up with an answer. The only thing that possibly made sense.
Was this his dad?
This was the guy that left her alone, letting her take the fall for his crime?
It couldn't be. There was no way his mom would be okay with him waltzing into their life as if nothing had happened.
Another few seconds of silence passed. He waited for something else from them. Something that confirmed his theory, even if he wanted to so desperately be wrong about that.
But they said nothing else. Henry actually thought they had ended the conversation, each going to do whatever it was to make the room as comfortable as possible.
Henry moved to step into the shower, but before he did, he could've sworn he heard his mom whisper, "Are my parents okay?"
But that didn't make any sense. He knew his mom's story.
She was an orphan.
Henry was the only family she had and vice versa.
He wasn't sure he liked the idea of this Killian coming in and possibly changing that.
Especially if he was the jerk that left her alone in prison.
When Henry finally came out of the restroom, Emma was sitting at the small desk, laptop open and glasses on. Henry caught a glimpse of what she was working on, and it was one of those databases she always used for work.
Killian was sitting on the bed, lips pursed as he used the remote to flip through the channels.
To Henry's surprise, he stopped on the Disney channel, as they were showing the old cartoon of Peter Pan.
"That's what a perm looks like?!" he exclaimed, causing both Henry and Emma to jump. "Bloody hell, that's not how I look like!"
Emma got up quickly, taking the remote from him and tossing it to Henry. She was looking at Killian though, with a warning in her eyes.
Killian opened his mouth, and Henry was almost sure he was going to protest about the remote being taken from him.
But whatever it was he was going to say, he shut his mouth, his eyes daring towards Henry before getting up and mumbling something about needing to grab his rum from the 'motor vehicle.'
When the door shut behind him, Henry turned his attention to Emma. "What's with that guy?" he asked. Maybe if he asked her directly about who he thought Killian really was...
Emma had sat in front of her computer again, back facing Henry.
Allowing Henry to see the moment her shoulders tensed at his question.
"He's just...stressed. Lashes out in weird ways."
Henry frowned. "By freaking out about perms and talking weird?"
Emma gave a sigh as she closed her laptop and took off her glasses. "Trust me, kid. You meet all kinds of...interesting people in this line of work. People you wouldn't believe. Almost as if they came out of a fairytale," she said, her voice trailing off with that last sentence.
And Henry could see a distant look in her eyes. One that she got sometimes when she thought he wasn't paying attention.
He always equated it with moments when she thought about the family she never had.
No, he wouldn't ask her point blank if Killian was his dad. That might be too cruel.
But there was nothing stopping him from asking Killian himself.
Henry scooted over in the bed. "Since you're done with work, want to watch the movie with me?"
"You're not too old for cartoons?" she lightly teased as she climbed onto the other side of the bed.
Henry shook his head, eyes focused on the screen now.
"And you're not to old to let your mom cuddle with you?" Her voice still holding that teasing tone as she wrapped an arm around him and ran her fingers through his wet hair.
Henry tried not to smile as he settled better into her side. "No," he mumbled.
Emma sighed again but sounding more content this time.
Henry allowed himself to be cuddled by Emma longer than usual.
Because deep down, he felt that something was coming. Something that would change everything.
Part of him was afraid that whatever it was would take his mom away from him.
And it all started the moment Killian Jones walked into their apartment.
The cartoon of Peter Pan played on the TV. Even with the sleep Henry had gotten during the drive, he still felt his eyes drooping.
His eyes finally closed, but he could still hear the movie, listening as Peter Pan taunted Captain Hook. Emma lightly poked Henry in his side, telling him it was time for bed.
Henry rubbed his eyes and didn't protest, moving to get under the covers. Emma pressed a kiss to his forehead, grabbing the remote to turn off the TV.
Before she did, Henry heard Peter Pan crow.
It felt like someone dropped cold water down his spine.
He shook the feeling away, trying to focus on getting some sleep. Emma turned off most of the lights, leaving only one small lamp on as she pulled out her computer again and began typing away.
Killian hadn't come back yet. Henry actually hoped that the man went ahead and slept in the car.
But just as he felt sleep overtaking him, he heard the motel door open.
"Swan, I was thinking-"
Emma quietly shushed him. "Let's talk outside."
And as much as Henry wanted to listen to their conversation, the pull of sleep was too strong.
His dreams were strange that night. Of shadows, and flying, and Snow White and Prince Charming being his grandparents.