Henry trudged to the bus stop. He really didn't want to go to school today. Henry hated the second day of school. It seemed silly to hate the second day, but right now, Henry would rather slay a hundred dragons than go to school.

The first day was always alright. Henry would get excited to use his shiny new pens and write in his new notebooks. He would meet his new teacher and there would be kids he would play with and talk to all day. The kids would say their goodbyes and promise to see him tomorrow.

So far, Henry thought, none of them had kept their promise. On the second day, it was like Henry had never existed. He would have to reintroduce himself to the teacher, and the teacher would typically give him an apology and an it-won't-happen-again look, but Henry knew it would. Henry could play with the same people he had yesterday or find someone else. It didn't matter. Everyone would forget the next day anyway. It was almost as if the same day was repeating over and over again and he was the only one who noticed anything. Last year, he could glance through the window into Miss Thorne's room and see them singing the same song at 11:42 everyday.

Henry knew it would happen. This was how it had always been. He told his Mom when he was little and that was when the visits with Archie had started. Henry had tried to ignore it since. He also tried to ignore the fact that each year he was the only person in the entire school advancing a grade.

The bus pulled up to the curb. Henry heaved his backpack further up on his back, and climbed up the steps. He sat down and set his backpack next to him. This was going to be a long day.

"Can you move your bag?" A girl in his class asked.

Henry tried to hide his amazement. No one had asked to sit next to him yesterday. According to his observations no one had ever changed what they were doing except for him and those he directly impacted.

"So is that a yes? I kinda need a seat. The bus will be moving soon." The girl said drawing him out of his thoughts.

"Oh yeah. Of course. Sorry," Henry stuttered out and tried to move his bag as quickly as possible. If this strange girl wanted to sit next to him that was fine. It wasn't that she was strange, Henry mentally corrected himself, it was just that she had done something so contradictory to everything he had seen so far in school.

"So Henry what do you think we'll be learning about today? I hope Miss Blanchard lets us go outside. I don't think I could stand to be stuck inside on a day as beautiful as this. I think I'd go mad!" She said all this very quickly and excitedly, not pausing to breathe. Henry gaped at her.

"Is something wrong with my uniform or something? You're a lot quieter than you were yesterday." The girl tugged on her dark blonde hair.

Of course, Henry remembered now. He had sat next to the girl in class yesterday. He couldn't remember her name though. He had really stopped trying to remember people's names. They would always say them again when they reintroduced themselves.

"No. You look fine. It's just I can't remember your name," Henry admitted.

"That's fine. I'm Paige. I'm rubbish with names too. You're just the mayor's kid and I didn't want to get arrested if I got it wrong."

"I don't think you'd get arrested."

Paige gave him a smile and winked. "You can never be too sure."

Henry knew without a doubt that this was the largest he had ever smiled on the second day of school.

"Are you sure your mom's okay with this?" Paige asked as they walked home after school.

Henry shrugged. "Why wouldn't she be?"

Paige fidgeted slightly, playing with the tasseled ends of her pink scarf. "It's just I don't think she likes me very much."

"Well, she's not going to be home till late tonight anyway. It's council meeting night." Henry paused, "And besides you're my best friend. That's not about to change over something like my mom."

Paige dropped the ends of her scarf and let them lay normally. "Do you want to go inside or should I get the tea set and we can go to our castle?"

Henry didn't even pause to think, "Castle." Henry wasn't a fan of Paige's older brother, Kyle. Kyle seemed to think that Henry and Paige were much too old for tea parties. Kyle had also taken to watching Henry closely whenever he was over at the house, scrutinizing him, and interrupting Henry and Paige's conversations.

"Alright just give me a second," Paige scampered inside her house.

"Kay. I'll wait right here."

Henry waited patiently outside the little house. It was strange to think that only a few months ago, he hadn't known Paige at all. Now they were so close. Henry was sure that her remembering him was a large part of that.

"Are you ready?" Paige asked as she skipped down the steps, tea set basket under one arm and a stuffed white rabbit under the other.

"Does Mr. Tumbles really have to come?" Henry asked even though he already knew the answer.

"Two people do not a tea party make. You need at least three." Paige replied easily.

"I know it's just we're ten and I don't even like tea."

"I've got lemonade," Paige assured, "And I'm sure we'll have time to stop in at Granny's for Hot Chocolate with Cinnamon or hot fudge sundaes, you know whatever."

"Still," Henry was hesitant with his next words, "Don't you think we're getting too old for tea parties?"

Paige didn't bother to glance at him as she looked at the street before crossing. "You've been listening to Kyle again." Her voice sounded sad.

"It isn't just Kyle. I mean people are saying things. I already go to Doctor Hopper. They already think something is wrong with me." Henry really didn't blame them.

"There's nothing wrong with you." Paige reassured as she set their thing down on the playground structure they had affectionately dubbed their castle.

"But what if-" Henry began to protest.

She interrupted, "If there's something wrong with you, there's something wrong with me too." She took out the well-worn blanket and laid it out with her little tea set on top.

Henry took out the little jug of lemonade and poured it into the three cups. He muttered very quietly just in case anyone else decided to use the playground today, "But what if I'm crazy?"

"Well then, let me tell you a little secret," Paige grinned knowingly and leaned in to whisper "all the best people are."

The two friends sipped their lemonade in companionable silence.

It was late and Henry was wandering the streets of Storybrooke. Well, it wasn't exactly wandering; he knew exactly where he needed to be. His Mom would probably be sending Sheriff Graham around right now and then he'd have to go home.

Henry didn't want to go home though. He'd said some awful things. He didn't really mean them. It was just hard sometimes. All he had wanted to know was something about his real mom and dad. He hadn't meant to make Mom cry. He just wanted to know something, anything. Maybe just to know why they gave him up for adoption, or if that was too much, even something trivial like a favorite color, or something. But then, she was yelling. "Am I really not enough for you Henry? What more do you want me to do?"

Henry shook his head now. Even far away from her, he could hear her voice and her crying, "I have sat with you every late night, through every fever, every illness. I changed every one of your diapers by myself while managing a town. I've taken you to Doctor Hopper every week and I've made sure you've had enough food. I've-"

No he had had enough of the guilt trip and he had yelled back. It wasn't asking too much. He had screamed every awful name he could think of.

"It doesn't matter Henry. She didn't care. She abandoned you. That's it. End of discussion."

And it had been. Because, then, Henry left, slamming the door behind him.

Henry looked around before approaching the house he knew was Paige's. He rang the bell. "Hi Mrs. Grace. I know it's late but can I stay here tonight?"

"Of course, sweetheart, make yourself at home. Do you want to change into your pajamas?"

Henry looked down at himself. It was stupid to just leave. He hadn't grabbed anything. "I don't really-"

"That's fine," Mrs. Grace put her hands on Henry's shoulders in a calming gesture. "I'm sure some of Kyle's old clothes will fit just fine."

Henry collapsed in one of the kitchen chairs. He laid his head in his hands and just listened to Mrs. Grace's humming as she bustled around the kitchen. It was a comforting sound, not at all like his house. Paige's house always felt warm and there was always some sort of music. There was humming, singing or random sounds from the trumpet Kyle had. At times, it was painfully silent at the house he shared with his Mom.

"I've got some Hot Cocoa with cinnamon. Now what seems to be the matter?" Henry didn't want to talk about anything. He wanted to sit and brood in silence.

"It's nothing."

Mrs. Grace tapped her fingers against the table. "I think we both know you wouldn't be here if it was nothing. Now, I'm going to check if Paige is actually asleep or just pretending. Hopefully, you'll be more willing to talk to her."

Henry sighed. It wasn't that he didn't want to talk to Paige. Henry was just sure Paige wouldn't understand. Paige wasn't adopted. Her parents were right here. Her parents loved her. Her parents were willing to put up with her eccentric habits. His Mom was all he had. And she wasn't even his real Mom.

Henry heard the loud thumps as Paige ran down the stairs. He didn't even have a chance before she was squishing him in a hug that was tight but not all together unwelcome. Henry soon felt himself begin to cry. He couldn't control it. He thought to himself about how he was too old for this and how real heroes didn't cry.

Paige released him, but moved her chair closer so she was sitting right next to him. "So…" She allowed her voice to trail off, silently asking him.

"So," Henry repeated, not sure if he was really ready to go on.

Paige nudged him. "You know what I mean. Are you alright?"

"Depends on your definition of alright."

"You know, the usual definition: not dying, not being targeted by the mafia, not lost in a different dimension." Paige counted out each of the definitions on her fingers.

Henry sighed, "I guess I'm alright then."

"Good. Now what's wrong?"

"Do we really have to do this?"

Paige put her hands on her hips. "Yes we do. Now drink your hot chocolate and spill."

"You know I'm adopted, right?"

Henry was beyond tired. He hadn't really slept much lately. Mom hadn't been too happy about the impromptu sleepover at Paige's. He was required to come home as soon as school was over. There was no more time for tea parties or sundaes at Granny's or all the other little things they did that he had already missed. The more time he spent cooped up in the house, the more he disliked it. The only place he was really still free to go was Archie's office. And as much as he liked Archie and Pongo, it just wasn't the same.

Luckily, Henry still got to ride the bus.

"So I've been thinking," he said as Paige sat down next to him.

"A dangerous pastime." Paige joked.

"It's about my mom," Henry whispered.

Paige glanced around, "Which one?"

"The birth one" Henry admitted.

"Okay, what about her?"

"I want to find her." Paige didn't look repulsed or anything. So Henry thought that was a good sign.

"How?" Her face was genuinely curious.

"I was thinking the Internet."

Paige smiled and stretched her arms above her head. "So, when do we start?"

AN: Just to clarify, this chapter has taken place before Henry has the book. He has no idea Storybrooke is cursed or even a possibility. Paige is somewhat unique in the fact that she, like her father, would have at some point traveled to a land other than just the Enchanted Forest and ours, giving her some resistance to the curse. This would give her the ability to remember certain things other may not. She can't remember her own life before the curse, but she certainly has enough resistance to the curse to be able to remember Henry. And according to the Once Upon a Time wikia, her family truly is the Graces. I find it weird but apparently that's what's accepted.

This story will be very Henry centric. I want to look at the idea that children would be much more open to believing they're fairytale characters than adults would be. Let's be honest, growing up everyone wanted to be a princess, wizard, fairy or pirate. On that note, I will be adding characters to the Storybrooke cast, as besides Nicholas and Ava Zimmer (Hansel and Gretel), Paige and Henry, there are few named children. Character additions will include Little Boy Blue, Gerda and Kay (From the Snow Queen), Goldilocks and assorted peasant children including those who belong to the little old women who lived in a shoe. Feel free to leave any suggestions in a review.

Side not to Lupa and the Lost Little Girl Readers: You will have an update soon. I promise. Your chapter is just about done. I know I shouldn't be starting another story, but my cast convinced me to watch Once Upon a Time and this wouldn't leave me alone.