Emma hadn't meant to come back to Neal's room at the B&B. When she'd decided not to meet him for breakfast that was the end of it as far as she was concerned. It was a hard choice. She had been up all night going back and forth over what she should do. Because she still loved Neal.

She never stopped.

That was why she couldn't go and meet with him. Emma was just now starting to build something with her family. She was just starting to feel secure with people loving her and not disappearing. Even if she understood while Neal had done left, and honestly she was glad he'd done it because she wouldn't have her family otherwise, but it was still terrifying to need someone in that way.

But then Henry had wanted to go to the grand opening of the Storybrooke library. Neal was there serving punch, claiming to have been forced into service by "Mama Belle" and soon enough they had spent the whole afternoon making jokes and trying to crack each other up. Emma's face actually hurt from smiling, just like it did back when they had first met and Neal always knew how to get her to laugh.

She hadn't had much to smile about lately. Too much running around and saving the world.

Henry had gone to Regina's for the night so Emma decided to head to dinner with Neal. Over grilled cheese they finally got around to talking about it all: what had happened in Phoenix and where Neal had gone, Emma's time in Tallahassee and his time in Neverland. Granny had actually had to turn off the lights to let them know it was time to go.

"We can finish this up in my room," he said, "If you have anything left to say."

Emma reached for her pendant, moving it back and forth on the chain. "I think I'm all talked out for the evening."

Neal nodded. He didn't push, not the way that most guys would have, but just accepted what she wanted. Part of her hated the fact that he was such a gentleman. Hook would have tried harder, and there was something safe about the type of guys who kept pushing like that. Being chased meant that you didn't have to actually have to risk putting your heart out there. Being chased meant not risking rejection.

But Hook never made her smile the way that Neal did. He was handsome and could have moments where he was charming, but it was always calculated.

"I'm all talked out," Emma repeated, making her decision, "But I still wouldn't mind going to your room."

They walked in silence to the door. Neal pulled out his key, "Unless you'd like to pick the lock?"

Emma laughed, following him inside. The room was tidy, Neal had either gotten neater over the years or he just hadn't been home long enough to get the place lived in again. They'd boxes up his belongings thinking he was dead, and most of them were still sat in that box. The only things he'd taken out were pictures of Henry alone and with her.

"You want a drink?" he asked, "I got some sodas in the mini-fridge. Bottled water. Got some harder stuff in the box."

"I'm good."

They stared at one another for a moment. Finally Neal chuckled. "This is turning out more awkward than the first time."

"Nothing could me more awkward than our first time. You nearly set the apartment on fire with all those candles."

"Hey, I was trying to make it special. You just don't get romance."

"Smoke inhalation isn't romance." Emma shrugged off her jacked and threw it on a chair. "And sexy showers don't really work if there is no hot water."

"That place was a dump, wasn't it?"

They'd moved closer as they talked, and not they were standing so close that they were breathing the same air. Emma leaned forward and kissed him, first a soft press of her lips and then harder when he placed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer.

They didn't separate until they were breathless, and then they started pulling off their clothes. Emma was stripped first wearing only her mismatched panties and bra. Neal was working off his pants, trying to hop out of them when he tripped and fell on the bed.

"Smooth," she said.

"I meant to do that. It's one of the moves I've picked up since last time."

Emma laid down next to him on the bed. "This is a move?"

"I got you where I wanted," he said, kissing her again. When he pulled away he stared at her so intently that she blushed.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"Why not?"

"Because…it's weird. And, I look different than before. It's been over a decade."

Neal shook his head. "You look even more beautiful. Your eyes are wiser. Your arms are stronger." He ran his rough hands down her arms and back up, running his index fingers over her delicate collarbones.

Emma closed her eyes. "I also have cellulite and stretch marks."

She could feel his hands trace the marks that never went away after she gave birth to Henry, for years the only reminder of the son she had tried to forget. Emma's eyes snapped open when she felt kisses along the scars and then wetness.

"I'm sorry, Em," Neal said, his voice thick. "I swear to god, if I had known that you were pregnant I'd have never listened to that glorified piece Howdy Doody. If I knew he was going to call the cops or take the money…I thought I was doing the right thing."

She stroked his mop of brown hair. "It isn't a big deal."

He looked up at her, his brown eyes rimmed red. "It's a big fucking deal Emma."

She pulled his hair until he was nose to nose with her. "What happened is in the past and we can't change it. And I'm not even sure I'd want to, because I'm really happy with where everything is right now." Emma lifted her hips to grind them against Neal's groin. "And I mean everything."

Emma rolled on top of him, straddling his waist while removing her bra. The cool air didn't have a chance to reach her before Neal's hands were cupping her, rubbing his thumbs on the underside of her breasts, the part that always drove her crazy.

Emma took the chance to look at Neal, and how he had changed. He was softer than he had been before, the result of having a job at a desk instead of running from the cops, but it suited him. He'd always been a bit too thin, a little too desperate, before. Now he looked healthy, even though he seemed to have a few more scars than before.

Emma focused on the scars she recognized. The large one with uneven edges on his abdomen especially drew her attention. "Was this one from Neverland?"

"Yeah. Speared when I was on the run from the Lost Boys."

"And that dog bite on your leg…it wasn't a dog was it?"

"Mermaid," Neal confirmed. "They aren't as sweet as the movies make them look."

"I know. I faced them myself in Neverland."

Neal rolled over so that she was underneath him. "The savior fought a mermaid?"

"Well, not fight really. I mostly fought the water around the mermaids."

He raised an eyebrow, "And did they give you any nasty bites?"

"No, got away safely."

Neal moved down the bed, between Emma's bare legs. He took on ankle in each hand and lifted them up, inspecting them. "Better do a thorough inspection just to be sure. Mermaid bites can be nasty things." Neal moved his arms from her ankles and along her calved, and then tickled the undersides of her knees. "I don't see anything here."

He continued the exploration up her thighs. "Nothing here either. Should I keep checking?"

"You better," Emma growled.

He began to pull down her panties. "You're right, better safe than sorry." He threw the silk over his shoulder and then stopped talking, his eyes turning glassy as they looked up and down Emma's body. Joking was over, she could tell, and it was all business as Neal moved his mouth to her pussy.

This was something that they had both gotten better at; Emma had lost her nervousness over the act and Neal had come to learn the benefits of delayed gratification. Instead of just focusing on the clit to get her to come as soon as possible he explored all of Emma's sweetness. His lips massaged her lips, his tongue circling the clit before moving away and going inside and tasting the nectar. Soon Emma's hand was on the back of his head, trying to force him to stay in one place long enough to let her come and he obliged, grinding his hard cock into the mattress as her legs trembled on either side of his head.

"I told you I got new moves," he chuckled as she climbed on top of her. He kissed her neck, remembering how uncomfortable she had been about kissing him after oral sex. But he wasn't the only person who had changed, and Emma turned her head to catch Neal's mouth in a kiss.

And then she rolled on top of him. Her pussy was right against his erection, which was tenting his black boxers. "Let's get these off," she said, pushing the material down his hips as he worked them the rest of the way. Neal meant to kick them onto the ground but instead they came towards them, hitting Emma's back.

She grabbed the boxers and tossed them away. "Is that another one of your moves?" She didn't give him a chance to answer, "Doesn't matter. Just let me handle everything."

Her hand found him, hard and ready, and she guided herself over him, enveloping him completely. Neal closed his eyes, overwhelmed by the sensations of his body and in his heart. This was it. He felt home again.

He opened his eyes and locked them with Emma's, trying to tell her what he was feeling even though his voice had left him entirely. She must have understood something because Emma took his hands, twining her fingers with his. Her pace was slow and deep, And he grinded slightly when she pushed down, putting the perfect bit of pressure against her. The talking and laughing was gone, but they both smiled still as they worked in perfect sync. Neal wasn't going to last long, not with his heart close to bursting, but he didn't want to leave her unsatisfied. Neal bent his neck trying to trap her nipple between his lips, managing to accomplish it just when he came, and as he sucked on her nipple Emma followed.

Words had left both of them when Emma collapsed next to him. The evening of talking and laughing, but now they couldn't do anything else. Nothing but smile at each other.