STUCK IN MY HEAD ── killian jones

iv ➤ henry...

Storybrooke

Callie Rivers lives by her schedule. Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and the occasional Saturday she wakes up early to go to the small gym in Storybrooke. Sundays are always left as a day off, but she also takes off some Saturdays for Henry. Still, Graham found a way to convince an incredibly drunk Callie to join him in volunteering at the local animal shelter in the mornings on Tuesday, Thursday, and a few extra Saturdays. Callie was fully against the idea of working with the animals until she discovered that all she had to do was go running with the dogs. (The fluffy little beasts aren't horses, but she loves them all the same).

The strict everyday routine she follows always seems odd to Regina, who continues to wonder why her friend doesn't enjoy life as leisurely as she acts on the sea. It's almost as if Callie truly is a different person behind closed doors, well locked doors really, and Henry had one of the few keys into who his Aunt truly was.

It being one of the special Friday's that month Callie would be watching Henry, she was thinking up a dinner plan. He loves the occasional weekends where Callie takes him to her house on her motorcycle and takes him sailing in the mornings before they go out to brunch with Regina.

Callie is beyond bored at the River Boutique, she gave her girls the weekend off since she isn't going to be in the shop. She flips through the morning paper, ignoring Emma Swan's face plastered to the front. Callie's known Regina long enough to know she has her hands in everything, and Sidney is no exception.

She drives up to City Hall that night, ready to get Henry and head home. Callie is adjusting the straps to the single helmet to fit Henry when he comes walking up to his aunt.

"Hey lad," Callie grins and ruffles his hair, "I think you're a touch late today. Want me to walk up with you?"

He nods and Callie places her arm around his shoulder, asking him meaningless questions about his day. In between the jumble of talk about schoolwork and what he had for lunch, Henry says something that confuses Callie.

"I think you're finally ready."

She looks down at her nephew, brows scrunching together in a frown, "ready for what Henry?"

"I can't tell you this close to my mom," he whispers, "but I'll tell you everything tonight."

Callie's eyes harden with concern, but she doesn't persist as her attention shifts to the two voices talking quite loudly from the mayor's office.

"You think he's troubled?"

"Well... he's in therapy. And I only got through a couple pages of his shrink's notes before you had me arrested, but putting all that aside. He thinks everyone in this town is a fairy tale character. Like Callie Rivers, he thinks she's a pirate with unnatural powers."

Callie's mouth dries as she watches the lad's shoulders tense in front of her, all his excitement and happiness fading into despair.

              
"And you don't?"

The smug smirk growing in Regina's tone causes Callie to flinch.

"How can I? The poor kid can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality and it's only getting worse. It's crazy."

Callie wants to pull him out of this, she can feel the hurt and pain radiating from the boy she's raised all at the words of his mother.