A/N: Hey everybody! So this is my first OUAT fanfic, and I'm really surprised I not only wrote one, but that it's a multi-chapter one. I don't know what's wrong with me. The idea of writing a Neal/Emma story just hit me so hard though that I couldn't ignore it any longer. So instead of studying for finals or writing a paper, I ended up writing this.

I just really needed to write out how I thought a Neal and Emma reunion would go, and hopefully you guys think it's realistic and in character for everyone!

Do I need a disclaimer? You guys know that Once Upon a Time and the characters don't belong to me, the only thing that sorta does is the plot of this fic.

So now on with the fic, and if you like it, please, please, please review!

It had been a week since Emma and Snow's return to Storybrooke, and yet the celebratory euphoria amongst their family had still not died down. For a few days, Henry had been reluctant to leave his mother's side and Charming had spent a lot of time just holding Snow when he could, having missed her in his arms. The family as whole even spent a great deal of time together even if it was just sitting down at dinner talking or going out to breakfast on Saturday morning or taking a trip to the park.

One thing that became clear during this short time since the mother and daughter's return was that a lot had changed, most of it for the better. Snow and Emma had bonded just as Charming and Henry had. And while Snow hadn't been all too surprised, Emma was shocked to find that Charming had been teaching her son to sword fight and to ride a horse.

But while all that was wonderful, Emma secretly had to say that the greatest thing to come from all of this, and the greatest surprise, too, was that Henry was beginning to call her 'mom' a lot more. It was funny, seeing as how just a year or so ago, she had been doing her best to forget she had had a son and the idea of being a mom would've deeply unsettled her. Emma was surprised at how quickly she had gotten used to the title and how natural it suddenly sounded, but she supposed it all made sense. After being away in another world from her son for so long, she had begun to realize just how much she missed him, how much he needed her, and how much she needed him, too. Now that she was back, Emma was determined to play a more active and larger role in her son's life.

Regina, of course, wasn't happy with it, and Henry had tried to pacify his other mother by telling her he just wanted to spend some time with his Emma after having been apart for so long. He had even promised that, after this first week, he would start to come back to live with her on some nights. It was an odd arrangement, one that both mothers only reluctantly agreed to for Henry's sake. To be honest, neither of them knew how long this arrangement would last before the old custody argument resurfaced and it wasn't going to be pretty.

For now, however, everything seemed pretty grand. The Charming family was reuniting and getting a chance to get to know one another, Emma and Henry were becoming closer, and everything seemed pretty peaceful in Storybrooke for once.

It was Sunday afternoon, a nice day to do just about anything, and Henry had suggested they go to the park, Snow adding enthusiastically that it was a great idea and that they should have a picnic. Although rather sick of trees and woods, Emma had agreed knowing how happy it would make Henry.

They were nearly ready to leave, Emma already having made her way back down the hall to grab a couple blankets when a knock on the door caused them all to pause.

"Who could that be?" Snow asked curiously, but before she could make her way to the door, Henry was already running toward it.

"Don't worry, I'll get it!" He assured her and Charming, and then called to whomever was on the other side of the door, "Who is it?" because he had always been taught to ask before opening the door. You never knew who might be on the other end.

"Is there an Emma Swan here? I need to speak to her," a rugged, deep voice called uncertainly from the other side.

Henry turned back to look at his grandparents, waiting for a nod of approval before he opened the door to reveal a somewhat nervous-looking dark haired, brown-eyed man. "You're not from here, are you?" he immediately asked, eyeing the man with a hint of suspicion, as he had certainly never seen him before.

"Uh, no, I'm not," the man said slowly, looking confused. He opened his mouth, most likely to draw Henry's attention back to the original question at hand, but the boy cut him off.

"That means you're new to Storybrooke, that you came here from the outside," Henry said, and the man at the door raised an eyebrow because he really didn't understand what the big deal about being from out of town was.

"Yeah, I'm new, but what's it matter? Now look, kid, I really need to—" Again, Henry stopped him before he could finish what he was going to say, and he stared at the kid in mild surprise. He sure had a lot of charisma to talk to a stranger so much older than him like this. His parents should really keep him more in line when talking to adults, but he noted that the most they were doing was standing behind him a few feet from the door looking just as confused and astonished as the boy was.

"It matters because we don't really have new people here in Storybrooke. Everyone knows each other and there are no outsiders unless you count my mom and August," Henry explained. "So I want to know how you got here and who you are."

The man's brow furrowed at the boy's explanation and he glanced up and over at the couple standing behind him for a moment before turning his attention back to the kid. "I drove here, simple as that, kid. And the name's Neal, Neal Cassidy."

"I'm Henry, and these are my grandparents," the boy said, gesturing to the couple behind him. Oh, not his parents, then. Neal tried not to look too dubious at how young these grandparents of Henry's were. They looked like they couldn't be much older than thirty!

"Mary-Margaret," Snow said, stepping forward and offering a hand to shake. Neal firmly shook her hand and then turned to Charming, who also stepped forward with his hand outstretched to introduce himself.

"I'm David. So, how do you know Emma, if you don't mind my asking?" Charming asked, and although the man was trying to be polite, Neal could sense the suspicion in his tone. But what connection did these two and Henry have with Emma? Did she live with them? Did they live with her? Were they just visiting?

"We're uh…we're old friends," Neal said, taking a moment to figure out what he supposed he should refer to himself as because old love was certainly out of the question.

"Oh?" Snow said, looking curious now. "She's never mentioned you," she added, looking a tad disappointed. Neal tried not to let his own disappointment show, too, although the fact that Emma had never even mentioned him said a great deal.

Neal shrugged. "Yeah…probably…probably not," he said dismissively. "So, I assume she's here, right?" He asked, wanting to peak around the three of them but not wanting to appear rude or impatient.

"Yeah, she's just getting something from her room," Snow said, gesturing with her thumb down the hall.

"Okay, no problem, I can wait," Neal said with a nod. After all, he had waited eleven years so what was another minute or two in comparison? "Can I ask how you guys know her?"

"They're Emma's parents and I'm her son," Henry explained, pointing to the couple behind him and then to himself.

"Her—her parents?" Neal asked dubiously, eyes widening. Her son?! "She told me she didn't—" He was about to go on about how impossible it was when an all-too-familiar voice rang out from behind Charming, Snow, and Henry and the sound of boots clacking on the floor caused them all to pause. The three people crowding the door turned about to face her and Neal resisted the urge to rise up onto his toes and peak over their heads to get a glance of her as the nervousness in his gut fluttered up his throat. He was suddenly so excited yet so unbelievably nervous to face her after all this time. What if no matter how much he tried to explain, she didn't forgive him? What if she didn't love him anymore? What if she had moved on?

No, surely she had, the evidence being that boy at the door in front of him.

"What's going on? Is there some sort of party over here at the door that I didn't know about?" Emma asked.

"Mom, there's someone here to see you," Henry said, and he and his grandparents stepped aside for her to see who it was.

He called her mom, Neal thought for a moment with incredulity before they all parted and he finally caught a glimpse of her. "Emma…" he couldn't help but murmur with affection and disbelief. God, she still looked as beautiful as ever. A small smile found its way across his face as he took in her appearance: the long blonde locks that flowed past her shoulders instead of being pulled back in a high ponytail like they used to be; those blue eyes…he missed the glasses that used to frame her face and make her look so studious.

But that was all he got before he realized she was glaring at him, extending her arm out…and slamming the door in his face.

A/N: Wait, that was an evil cliffhanger, wasn't it? I'm sorry, guys! But I swear I'll update very soon seeing as I've already got the second chapter written and I'm working on the third!

But if you wanna read any of that other stuff, you're gonna have to review! Please and thank you!