A/N: Hello fellow Oncers, I've had this idea for a while, and I'm so happy that I finally got it written down. This will be a Henry centric story and as it says in the summary, Peter Pan will be making an appearance as well. The only difference is there is no curse, so this will be an exploration of sorts and very different for me. Kind of a what-if. I hope you enjoy this first chapter.

Chapter One: Discovering Neverland

Henry was five years old when he first discovered the power of his imagination. He was sitting on the steps of Storybrooke Elementary on a Friday afternoon. All of the other boys and girls in Henry's grade had already been picked up for the weekend. Henry's dad was late. His mom was working at Granny's just five blocks away and had told his daddy that morning in an angry voice that he had to pick up Henry. Daddy had said fine. He'd walked out with his coat over his shoulder, rubbed Henry's hair in the way that he hated and said he'd see him at three right Sport? The big hand was on the 6. Henry knew that the big hand had to be on the 12, and that meant that Daddy was really late. He felt himself trembling as his vision blurred with tears.

"Henry?" The voice was gentle. He recognized it. He looked up to his his teacher and Uncle David's fiancee, Mary Margaret. "Is your Dad not here?"

Henry sniffled shaking his head.

"Come inside Henry. We'll go talk to Miss Mills." Mary Margaret held out a hand which Henry took.

Principal Mills was a friend of his mom's. Aunty Regina came to visit every other weekend, so he wasn't scared of her like the other boys, but that didn't mean that he wasn't nervous. Nervous and scared were two different things. That's what Uncle David told him. The office lobby was huge. Chairs lined the side as he and Mary Margaret entered. She was busy speaking to the gray haired secretary which allowed Henry time to break away and look around. Older boys that had beat up Henry and his friends on the playground jeered, but one of the boys simply stared, a passive interest on his face. Henry couldn't help but stare back. The boy couldn't be older than eight or nine. His eyes reminded Henry of the grass at the park, a bright green that sparkled with mischief and promised fun. Henry walked over, going unnoticed by Mary Margaret. "Hi! I'm Henry."

The boy continued staring, sizing him up before he broke into a grin. "What kind of name is Henry?"

Henry frowned. "It's mine. What's yours?"

The boy laughed. "I like you kid. I'm Peter." He held out his hand.

His gaze was torn away from the boy's hand when Regina spoke and Henry startled running back to Mary Margaret's side. "Miss Blanchard, I hope you have a good reason for coming in without…" The woman stopped midsentence, softening as she saw Henry Swan-Cassidy. "Hello Henry."

"H..hi…" Henry's voice came out a whisper as he burrowed into Mary Margaret's dress. He hated that look that grownups gave him, especially when it was Aunty Regina. Her eyes went all fuzzy round the edges and her mouth didn't smile. Not that it really did, but it always did when she saw Henry. It scared him when she didn't even though she was the principal and not his Aunty right now.

"What are you still doing here? Shouldn't you be playing Nintendo at home?" Regina crouched in front of him looking up at Mary Margaret with a look Henry couldn't figure out, but he knew it was another grownup secret.

"Go on Henry." Mary Margaret squeezed his hand.

Henry took a deep breath as he felt the tears stinging. "Daddy was supposed to be here at three. He isn't here and Mommy's working at Granny's. I'm not allowed to walk even though it's only five blocks. Mommy said so."

"Is that so?" Regina pursed her lips as she walked around to her desk where the phone sat.

"I can drop him off at David's." Mary Margaret said. She looked at Henry. "Would you like to go with me to see Uncle David Henry?"

Henry smiled. Seeing Uncle David was always fun. "Yes please Miss Blanchard."

Neal cursed as he looked at his phone. It was three-forty. He was supposed to have been at the school for pickup at three.

"Cassidy."

"Mr. Cassidy, this is Principal Mills." Regina. He almost forgot that woman worked at the school. "You were supposed to pick up your son at three o'clock, correct?"

"I know. I know." Neal sighed. The light was too damn bright right now. "Look, I'm sorry, I'll be there. Just gimme, just gimme twenty minutes."

"Okay, professional pretense aside Cassidy," Regina said. "I'm talking to you as a friend. Whatever hole you've dug yourself in, you better get yourself out. Your son's been sitting on the curb for a damn half hour crying his eyes out, because you can't stay out of trouble."

"I hear you loud n' clear." Neal pressed his thumb into his eyes, the words coming out in a slur. "I'll be there."

"Don't bother." Regina said. "I already called your wife. Mary Margaret and David are taking your son for the afternoon. Just sober up and come up with a better excuse than working overtime."

"S-" The line went dead. "Sure." Neal slammed his phone down. Fuck. He turned to the man beside him who was looking at him with a sneer.

"Gee, you got yourself in the pits with more than just the boss man huh? Wife and kid too?" The man was hulking about three heads taller than Neal himself with a head of blond hair that fell into his face.

"Don't try to bond now Huck." Neal snapped. "I know what you guys want, and I told you I'm out!"

"You're out when he says you're out Cassidy." Huck leaned toward him letting his snake scale breath out in the other man's face. "Once you give what you owe, then maybe he'll be willing to talk about you all of the sudden walking straight and narrow." He looked to the picture on the phone screen, Emma and Henry smiling up at him, Henry wearing one of those paper crowns from the fast food place he liked so much. "Wouldn't want anything to happen to that little prince of yours would you?"

"Go to hell!" Neal stood slamming his hands on the bar.

"I'll see you there pal." Huck laughed clapping Neal on the shoulder and throwing a bill on the counter before leaving.

"Thank you David. You don't know how much I appreciate this! I hope he wasn't too much trouble." Emma ran into the apartment still in her Granny's uniform. She saw Henry asleep on the tattered couch, the Disney movie still playing in the background, and once again she felt the anger bubbling up. How dare Neal forget! Henry was his son too.

"No worries Em'." David said. "We love having him here."

"Henry couldn't cause trouble if he tried." Mary Margaret shook her head.

Emma sighed sinking down into one of the kitchen chairs. "I...I don't understand." That single broken phrase could describe every moment since that day when she'd first met Neal Cassidy. It had been a whirlwind romance, full of passion and trouble, trouble which her older brother had been involved in bailing her out of, that had ended in a pregnancy and a ring on her finger: a promise that he would always be there to support both of them. And where was he? Hell if she knew!

"It's alright." Mary Margaret sat across from her taking her hand. They both looked over to where the boy was sleeping. "You're doing your best Emma. That's all you can ask of yourself."

Emma shook her head releasing a bitter laugh. "Sometimes, I just wonder, how things got so screwed up!"

Mary Margaret and David exchanged a look as a loud knock resounded on the door growing more insistent by the second.

David opened the door barely getting out of the way as Neal stormed in.

"God, I'm so sorry Em'! I just... they needed me to do extra work down at the plant! I completely forgot." The man ran nervous hands through his hair, pacing, crazed. David could see the red in his eyes, smell the staleness on his breath. It took every ounce of self-restraint in him to let Emma handle it. He could tell by the set line of her mouth that she was planning to do just that.

Next to the hole that his father was boring in the floor, Henry stirred, letting out a soft moan. "Ma…"

"You gotta let me explain! I know I said I'd pick up Henry and I know you probably want to murder me right now, but-"

Emma stood and in three long strides was in front of him speaking in a terse whisper. "Can you shut up and save it? Your son is asleep!"

"Ma…" Henry stirred once more and turned to face the couch, his back to the scene that was going on. If the adults had been paying attention, they would see that he was awake with the pillow over his head and tear stains on his cheeks.

"Hey kiddo, you all set?" Neal stood outside Henry's bedroom noticing that the boy was staring outside where the fire escape snaked downwards, his Superman PJs feeble protection against the fall chill outside the open window.

Henry glanced back only briefly. "Daddy, can you help me?"

"What do you need?" Neal felt the briefest sensation, fleeting, but there nonetheless as he walked across the room. Acceptance. Henry needed his help with something. It was small, but Neal knew if things kept going the way they were, it would be less and less frequent. So was he wrong to treasure it?

"Do you know where Peter Pan's star is?" Henry looked up at him with eyes so full of hope. His Daddy would know the answer. Why then, did it catch Neal so off guard?

"Peter Pan's star?" Neal smiled. "Don't you remember, second star to the right…"

"And straight on till morning." Henry finishes with a grin which slips. " I know but…"

"What's up?"

"Is it real? Like really really?"

Neal was at a loss. The answer should be obvious. He should know how to answer his son's question. Nothing like that was real. He had learned that a long time ago, the hard way, but Henry… Henry was so very different than he had been at that age. Magic, faith, fairy dust. It was all hope and his kid wouldn't be allowed to have his hope crushed. He wouldn't do that… not anymore. "Of course." Neal said. "Long as you believe it." He pulled Henry onto his lap, sitting on the fire escape criss cross applesauce. "Look up there." Neal grabbed Henry's hand in his guiding it until it was pointing to the biggest and brightest star, second to the right.

"Is that it?"

"That's it."

"Wow," Henry squirmed adjusting so he was kneeling on his dad's legs facing him. "Can that be our star too?"

Neal felt a lump in his throat laughing. "I don't know Kid. Does Peter Pan share?"

Henry scowled. "Uh huh Daddy! He's Peter Pan. He's got a whole bunch of kids to share with. What's two more?"

He said it so matter of factly. He was so sure of things. Neal could almost forget the suitcase, forget Emma's sharp demand, forget Huck and the boys and the trouble, forget that it would be his last night doing anything like this with his son. He could simply content himself with sitting out on the fire escape on a crisp fall evening running his hands through his boy's hair and fueling his never ending imagination.

"Alright my Prince," Neal said. He lifted Henry. "Ooh, you're getting heavy. Time for bed."

Henry laughed. "I'm not that big yet."

"Just you wait. You'll be a giant. " Neal placed him on his bed, his arms spread wide.

"No you'll be a giant!" Henry shouted. "I love you Daddy!" He sprung forward into Neal's arms.

"Love you too Henry, so much. Sweet dreams." Neal planted a kiss in his hair before he turned heading to the door.

"Wait!" Henry said. "Can you leave the window unlocked? Just in case Peter Pan comes."

Neal stopped. "Sure thing." He walked to Henry's window making a show of not touching the latch. "He'll be able to make himself right at home."

Henry burrowed himself into his pillow. "Goodnight Daddy. I'll see you tomorrow."

Neal's heart sank. He didn't have the heart to correct him. "See you Henry." As the door clicked shut behind him, he couldn't stop the tears.

A/N: Well, what do you think? Please let me know. I love feedback. There will probably be about one to two chapters left with little Henry before the time jump which will be the primary time frame of this story with fourteen year old Henry. Until next time!