The waiting felt endless.
Nathan had grown used to the rhythm of the orphanage helping feed the toddlers, reading stories to the younger kids, even lending a hand with the laundry it was given his mind a reset from everything that's happened so far but as the System's countdown crept closer to zero, it was harder to focus.
[Target Arrival: 5 days.]
[Target Arrival: 4 days.]
[Target Arrival: 3 days.]
[Target Arrival: 2 days.]
The words floated in the back of his mind, quiet but insistent.
Some nights he lingered by the empty cribs in the nursery, making sure the sheets were tucked neatly, or folding the soft blankets again, though they were already perfect. Other times he sat by the window, knees hugged to his chest, watching the stars and whispering softly, almost like a prayer.
"Where ever you are Henry… I'll be here."
The caretakers noticed the energy in him. One teased that Nathan was acting like an expectant big brother but when asked directly, he only smiled politely said it just came naturally.
It was an ordinary morning when everything changed.
Nathan was carefully balancing a plate of oatmeal for a cranky toddler when the door opened and two caretakers entered, carrying a small blue bundle. Their voices hushed, their steps gentle, and even the younger children seemed to sense the quiet from the staff as usually when they are like that means a new infant joined them.
The System chimed inside his mind.
[Target Acquired: Henry.]
[Bond Opportunity Detected.]
Nathan's hands froze. His heart jumped, then raced. He turned, almost afraid that if he looked too quickly the moment would vanish.
But there he was. A tiny face scrunched in sleep, a soft whimper escaping from between trembling lips, fists tucked close to his chest. So impossibly small. So new.
For a breath, Nathan simply stared, finally....
The caretakers prepared the crib Nathan had kept spotless for weeks, then noticed him lingering nearby.
"Nathan" one said warmly, "would you like to meet him?"
His answer came without a thought. "Yes."
Carefully, gently, they lowered the bundle into his arms. Nathan stiffened at first terrified of making a mistake then relaxed as Henry shifted against him with a soft sigh.
The System stirred again.
[Bond Established: Henry Swan.]
[Perk Acquired – Affinity: Henry will naturally respond to and trust you.]
[Perk Acquired – Bound By The Key: Latent magical essence linked to Henry's fate flows through you. Effects locked until triggered. ] [1: ????]
[2: ????]
[Perk Acquired – Adorable Charm: Your presence soothes and disarms, even beyond natural limits.]
Nathan's arms adjusted, protective but steady. The baby's warmth seeped into him, not erasing the hollowness he carried but softening it, giving it shape. It was the difference between a wound and a scar still there, still painful, but no longer open.
Henry stirred, tiny fingers curling until they wrapped around Nathan's thumb. Nathan's lips twitched into the smallest of smiles.
"He's calm with you," one caretaker whispered, surprised.
Nathan said nothing, but inside, something quiet and steady settled.
The room around them carried on, caretakers talking, children playing outside but Nathan stayed focused on the baby in his arms. He didn't feel an overwhelming need to cling or claim. Instead, he felt… responsible.
Like someone had handed him a secret, fragile truth.
He leaned closer, speaking softly enough only Henry could hear:
"You're safe now. I'll do what I can for you."
The words weren't dramatic, not even fully formed as a vow but they were honest.
Henry hiccupped once, then stilled again, nestled securely against Nathan's chest.
And for the first time in a long while, Nathan felt that maybe he wasn't walking his path alone.
The System's voice was faint now, satisfied.
[Future aligned: The bond begins.]
———————————————————
Life in the orphanage changed the day Henry arrived.
At first, Nathan wasn't sure how much space to take. He was still the "new kid" himself, only a month and a half in. The staff were kind but cautious giving him chores like tidying up toys or reading to the toddlers, tasks easy enough for a polite ten-year-old.
But once Henry came, everything shifted.
The staff expected him to be curious, maybe even jealous of the attention the new born received, he got a lot of attention from the staff. Instead Nathan leaned in naturally, offering small helps without being asked: fetching warm water, folding blankets, sitting quietly by the crib when Henry stirred.
And they noticed.
Within days, the caretakers began to rely on him more.
"Would you mind holding him while I answer the phone?"
"Here, Nathan, could you watch him for a minute while I settle the other kids?"
"You've got such a calm touch Nathan he likes you."
What started as small, temporary tasks became routine. By the end of Henry's first week, it wasn't unusual to see Nathan pacing the nursery with the baby nestled against his chest, humming softly while the staff caught their breath.
The hollow ache that had haunted him for months eased, bit by bit.
Henry was tiny, fragile but his presence filled the orphanage with a kind of warmth Nathan hadn't realized he was missing. His cries were sharp, his needs endless but to Nathan, none of it was a burden.
He began to learn Henry's rhythms instinctively. Which cry meant hunger.
Which fuss meant tiredness. How to hold him just firmly enough that he felt safe.
The staff marvelled at how well Henry responded. Sometimes Nathan would walk into the nursery and Henry would quiet at once, as though sensing him.
"Strange little thing," one of the caretakers whispered with a smile, watching Henry curl tiny fingers around Nathan's bracelet. "Almost like he already knows you."
Nathan swallowed back the truth burning on his tongue holding back a chuckle. He kind of does.
The System didn't intrude often, but at night it flickered faintly at the edge of his mind.
[Bond Forming: Henry.]
[Affinity Strengthening… Awaiting milestone.]
Each message was both comfort and warning: Henry wasn't just another baby.
He was the baby. The one the story hinged on.
And Nathan wasn't about to fail him like when others had failed him.
Beyond Henry, Nathan's presence in the orphanage grew.
He became a quiet fixture, someone the younger children ran to when they wanted a story or comfort. The toddlers giggled as he helped stack blocks and knocking them down, the older kids listened when he explained homework patiently or told stories of adventure. Even the staff found themselves leaning on him more often, surprised by how natural he was at slipping into a caretaker's role.
"He's like a little gentleman." one of the women remarked.
"A ten-year-old with the patience of an adult." another agreed.
Nathan never corrected them. He only smiled faintly, knowing they were closer to the truth than they realized.
Every act of kindness he gave, every toy tidied, every baby soothed, every child comforted felt like stitching himself more firmly into this world. Into this role fate had carved for him. Tho he knew this was never going to stick as he wanted to do more in this life.
One evening, rain streaked the orphanage windows while Nathan sat in the nursery, Henry bundled against him. The new born's breathing was soft, steady, his tiny hand curled in the fabric of Nathan's shirt.
Nathan stared at the sleeping infant for a long while, his mind turning inward. He thought of Emma, of how she would never see this moment not yet, tho maybe some day she will. He thought of Neal, of the betrayal, of the story spinning forward without mercy.
And he thought of Henry.
"You don't know it yet" Nathan whispered softly, "but you're going to change everything. And I'll be right there with you doing the same."
Henry stirred faintly, his hand brushing against the bracelet Emma had given him. The gesture was small, accidental but it sent a strange shiver through Nathan's chest, as though past and future both pressed into the present.
The System pulsed faintly.
[Hidden Achievement: Bounded To The Key Promise.]
[Effect: Emotional bond reinforced. Awaiting future trigger.]
Nathan tightened his hold, eyes closing.
For the first time in a long while, he didn't feel like a lost boy. He felt like someone with a purpose now.
Time passed in quiet, steady days. Henry grew, gaining weight and strength. His cries became louder, his eyes sharper, tracking Nathan whenever he entered the room.
The bond between them deepened, natural and undeniable. And though Nathan knew this peace couldn't last, he savoured every moment.
Until the day came when everything shifted again.
Henry had just turned six weeks old when the orphanage received a visit. The children were laughing and playing. Suddenly the air seemed to grow heavier as a woman entered elegant, composed, with an aura of power that bent the room subtly around her.
Regina Mills.
Nathan froze, felt the world tilt, the story's threads tugging tight.
Even after two lives, even with all the foreknowledge he carried, nothing prepared him for the reality of her presence. She wasn't framed by a TV screen anymore. She was here living, breathing, beautiful, radiating a controlled power that seemed to draw and repel the air around her at once.
Her dark hair framed a face that was as sharp as it was beautiful, her eyes like polished obsidian that seemed to pierce through walls and souls alike. Elegance clung to her every motion: the way she removed her gloves, the subtle tilt of her chin as she surveyed the room, the quiet authority in her silence.
The staff greeted her politely, some with hints of nerves. The children stared in awe or shrank back in shy uncertainty.
But Nathan… Nathan was transfixed. Heart pumping fast feeling like it was going to explode.
She's real.
It was the only thought his mind could hold. Regina Mills — the Evil Queen, the Mayor of Storybrooke, one of his favorite characters and main crush in the series stood a few feet away. The mixture of awe, fear, nervousness and admiration tangled in his chest until he could hardly breathe. His entire face begun to flush while he tried to control it.
He then remembered every cruel deed she would one day commit. Another part remembered every moment of vulnerability, every flicker of love she struggled to express, every ounce of redemption she clawed toward. He knew the full spectrum of her story but seeing her now proud, unbending, unaware of what lay ahead it struck him with new weight.
And then, her eyes met his.
For a single, suspended heartbeat, Nathan felt pinned. Face flushed even further. Her gaze was sharp, assessing, but not cruel. If anything, it carried a flicker of curiosity, as though she recognized something unusual about him even in that instant.
Nathan swallowed hard, forcing himself not to look away. His golden eyes, streaked faintly with purple, locked with hers. His heart raced, but his expression stayed calm, polite face slowly regaining its right colour, exactly the way the staff had come to know him.
The corner of Regina's lips lifted, faint and unreadable, before she turned her attention toward Henry's crib.
Nathan's fingers brushed over his bracelet unconsciously, grounding himself.
He couldn't explain it but he knew this moment mattered. That somehow, from
this single meeting, the threads of his fate and Regina's had begun to intertwine.
The System flickered faintly at the edge of his mind.
[Hidden Path Detected.]
Nathan exhaled slowly, steadying himself.
Whatever came next, he wasn't just watching a story anymore. He was living it.
And for the first time since Emma's arrest, he realized: the next chapter had begun.
(Hey guys 🤗 I decided to combine chapter 9 and 10, the line in the middle of this chapter is the division of the chapters hopefully you'll like this. This will be technically the two chapters today as I'm know trying to catch up with the story now since there only 9 chapters left before I run out 😅 so after today might do a chapter per day so I can have more stored up for you guys☺️)
(Plus I gave the ones who's been on the fandom ranking a shout in the author thoughts if your curious)