This is my first Neal and Emma one shot. I usually write OTH or TVD AU's but I have been so obsessed with Once lately that I need to start writing for this as well. I hope y'all like what I have come up with, I will greatly appreciate your feedback, good or bad, or both! :) -Dee
Summary: AU Neal and Emma a year from season 2, they have now returned to the Enchanted Forest with all of the residence Storybrooke. They are beginning their life together as a family over again, as a fresh new start. (Slight smut near end, nothing major though.)
She looked out over the ridge of the balcony as the sun was setting. It was more beautiful than she could even come up with words for. This was a place she never thought she would see, let alone live in.
Emma took a deep breath and closed her eyes, thinking back to their journey, what brought them here, and the events leading up to this moment. She still couldn't believe that this was her home.
She opened her eyes and looked out around the kingdom, they had been back in this world for a few months now and you could really see it coming together from the mess it was when her and Mary Margaret had been stuck there a year or so earlier. Their castle was almost back to its original structure now and she could tell that everyone was happy with this, including herself.
Emma could hear laughing down below and smiled. It was a laugh she would know from a mile away and even then still make her smile. The laugh of her little boy, he had just turned 12 and she couldn't believe how much he had grown.
As she looked down below and saw the people, she knew now as her family, playing with wooden swords. She couldn't control the grin that appeared on her lips. David, the man that she now knew as her father, was much better than her son but watching them play you could see that he wasn't in it to win, just to teach and play and make the time they were spending together a good one.
She smiled as she watched them with happy tears in her eyes but wiping them away before any escaped.
She heard foot steps coming up behind her just as a smell she knew all too well invaded her senses. She looked over her shoulder and saw the women she now knew as her mother walking to her with two mugs in her hands with hot cocoa in them with cinnamon on top.
"Cocoa?" Mary Margaret asked as she reached her daughter, handing over one of the mugs.
"Sure, thank you." Emma said as took the mug from her. She brought the mug to her lips and took a sip and smiled at the taste. "So good."
Mary Margaret smiled at her daughters reaction to the drink and then took a sip herself and then leaned over the ridge of the balchony just as her daughter was doing and looked out around the kingdom and scanning the land that was being rebuilt. As she was letting her eyes wander she noticed the same thing that Emma was looking at, her husband and grandson playing swords and laughing, having a great time together.
"They both look so happy." She said as she watched them with a smile.
Emma looked over to her and smiled wider than she already was and nodded, "Yeah, they really do."
Mary Margaret looked over to Emma and placed her free hand over her daughters free hand, "I am so glad you decided to come with us here, I wouldn't have came if you and Henry didn't come too. I couldn't stand being apart from you two again." A tear slid down her cheek as the last words came out.
Emma was almost in tears at her mothers confession and she squeezed her hand. "We would have come with no matter what, we are all family, we have waited too long for us not to be together anymore. We all needed, and more than that, wanted this. There is no other way than for us all to finally be together as a family."
Mary Margaret whipped away her tears and smiled at her daughter before putting her mug down and fully engulfing Emma in hug, in which Emma returned fully.
A few hours later after they had all finished their dinner together as a family in the almost finished castle, Emma found herself back out on the balcony looking over the lit up town in the dark night.
She felt a pair of hands come up from behind her and wrap around her waist, as a warm body came flush up pressed against hers. She smiled at the feel and smell of him, it was something she had missed for so long and promised herself she would never be far from again. She felt him rest his chin on her shoulder as he turned his head slightly and kissed her neck just below her ear.
"What are you thinking about beautiful?" Neal said as he held them women he loved tight against himself.
"Nothing. Everything. You know." She said with a small smile, as her hands reached his on her waist and she rested them there, holding his as he held her, silently saying not to let go.
"Yeah, but things are better now. We are home, with our family, where we will remain as that forever." He said to her in his best reassuring voice he could muster up. He truly believe it himself, he just wanted to make sure that no matter what, she did too.
She stayed silent after hearing his words, just letting it all sink in as they continued to gaze at the kingdom without actually seeing it, just enjoying each others company and embrace.
It didn't last too long though, as a few minutes later they could hear foot steps of their 12 year old running up to them from his end of their corridor.
"Mom, Gramps said he wants to tell me more stories before bed, so is it OK to just say goodnight to you now?" Henry said as he came up behind his parents.
Emma pulled out of Neal's embrace just enough to move away but not enough to lose all contact between the two, he still had his arm around her back and waist as he stood beside her looking down at their son.
Emma looked down at Henry and sighed, "Yeah, just tell David tomorrow night I get to be with you before bed again."
"Yes! Thank you mom!" Henry said as he turned to walk out of the room before abruptly turning and running back. He then wrapped his arms around his mothers waist tightly, holding the hug for a minute before pulling back slightly and looking up at her, "I love you mom. I'll see you in the morning."
Emma smiled and hugged her son back as tight as he was holding her and looked down to meet his eyes that resembled his fathers so much, "I love you too, kid. More than you'll ever know." She leaned down and kissed the top of his head before fully letting him go.
Henry then went and hugged Neal before turning and running out of the room, yelling, "Goodnight!"
They both laughed at his silly actions as they yelled, "Goodnight!" to him almost simultaneously.
Neal went and closed the door after Henry went out of complete view.
He turned around to see Emma watching him with a smirk playing on her lips.
"Whats with the look?" He said as he slowly re-approached her, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her into him.
She smiled at him looking him directly in the eyes, "I love you so much." She said as he met her eyes, "You being with us, choosing us, and, loving us..." she paused for a brief moment, "It means the world to us, all of us. And it has made me love you, just that much more than I already do."
He grinned at her and rubbed his hands gently over her sides. "Emma, there is no other place I would rather be, than right here with you and our boy. No one else matters, no place matters, without you."
Emma smiled at his words and leaned in and pressed her lips right against his. She kissed him softly, with meaning and pure love behind it, and responded in the same way.
He wrapped his arms around her waist to her back as she wrapped her arms around his neck and running her fingers through his hair.
As they kissed, their kissed slowly drifted from soft and loving to intense and passionate. They were no longer standing still, they had both started to move their hands around each others bodies, needing to feel the other person as much as possible.
He started backing her up towards their bed. When he knees his the bed, she slowly went back in a laying down position and he went right with her, never losing contact once.
They finally pulled apart after a few more minutes of their hot make out. He pulled back and stood up, removing his shirt as she laid there looking up at him with biggest grin she could muster.
He looked down at the beautiful women below him and smiled back, he had never been so happy in his life, "I love you Emma, always have and always will. No matter what the future throws at us, my love for you will never waver." He said as he leaned back down, hovering over her as he held himself over her on his elbows, looking deep into her eyes.
She locked eyes with his as he balanced above her and she gently moved her hands over his flesh to around his back moving her finger tips across his back, "And I will always love you too Neal, no matter what."
They met in another passionate and heated kiss for a few minutes, just letting their love for one another build, as did their lust. Not too much longer after that, their clothes were completely gone from each others bodies and they were joined together in the most intimate of ways, showing each other just how much they loved one another.
I apologize for any grammar mistakes, I didn't have a beta for this. I just wrote it and posted it! I hope you all enjoy it! Please review! All kinds of comments accepted! Thank you for reading! -Dee