They hadn't had many Christmas' together. Only a handful. But Neal remembered every single one of them. Coming from, a different world into this one and learning about Christmas from the Darling family, he had become quite obsessed with it. He celebrated Christmas once with the Darlings before being taken to Neverland and that was the best Christmas he would have for a very long time.

Until he met Emma. Now Emma had had her fair share of Christmas' in several different foster homes and she quite frankly, never really understood the appeal. To her Christmas was not a time for happiness. She recalled how a lot of kids got adopted in the Christmas season and how their faces would light up at the thought of getting real parents and actual gifts for Christmas. Those stuck in the foster homes were not so grateful. Some of them were better than others and she had got some pretty cool gifts in her time, but still Christmas to her didn't really mean all that much. Somehow though, when she met Neal, that all changed.

She had never even expected to meet him in the first place, let alone fall in love with him, so any time spent with him was a gift to her. Yes, living in the bug wasn't great, but it felt more like home than any house she'd ever been in. After a few months together on the road, Emma and Neal started to notice Christmas trees and decorations going up. The first tree they saw was in a town centre where they had been staying near. They drove through the centre at night on their way to a new place and they saw the tree with all the lights shining bright.

Neals eyes lit up. "Em." He whispered in awe. She awoke from her sleep to see what he was so amazed by. "Neal, it's just a tree." She was groggy and didn't really like being woken up.

"But that means it's Christmas time!" Emma had never seen him get so excited.

"What's so great about Christmas anyway?" Neal looked shocked but she carried on. "Besides, people start putting up their trees straight after Halloween these days, I bet it's only November."

Neal slowed the car down and parked in the nearest space he could find.

"Why have we stopped?" Emma was confused.

"You seriously don't like Christmas?"

"Every Christmas I've ever had has sucked. I thought it would be the same for you."

"Well I've only ever had one proper Christmas, with an old foster family.."

"Until they gave you away?"

He sighed. "Something like that. But ever since then I've been a bit obsessed with Christmas. I think it's great to try and spread happiness like that."

"Yeah well it doesn't always work out that way."

"Fine then.." He placed a hand on his heart and held her hand in the other. "I, Neal Cassidy promise you, Emma Swan to give you the best Christmas you'll ever have."

"And how do you plan on that? We have no money and nowhere to live..."

But Neal was undeterred. "You'll see."

And despite everything, Neal came good on his promise. That year Emma really did enjoy Christmas for the first time. Somehow he had managed to get the smallest fake tree Emma had ever seen and put it in the back of the bug. He had sold something (he wouldn't tell her what) to buy her a gift. He got her a swan ornament made of glass. She had gasped when she saw it. "Oh Neal, it's so lovely." (Unfortunately she no longer owned this ornament as Neal had smashed it by accident when he swerved the car to avoid an accident, but she still treasured the memory.) "I got you something too." She added shyly. She pulled out a bag and handed him the gift. Inside was the nicest book he had ever seen. "Emma how did you get this?"

"I have my ways. Open it." He did as he was told. Inside she had put leaflets from every single hotel they had crashed in and little mementos from all the places they had visited. "Oh Emma." He kissed her gently. She pulled him closer and deepened the kiss. The words "I love you" were there but neither of them could bring themselves to say it yet. They didn't need to though, they were just so happy in this moment that being together was enough.

He teased her as she lay on his lap and he stroked her hair. "I thought you didn't like Christmas anyway."

"I think I've changed my mind."

"Oh really?!"

"Mmhmm. You seem to have some kind of effect on me, Neal Cassidy." Neal grinned as Emma drifted off to sleep. Yes, that really was the best Christmas both of them had had in such a long time. And it would be many years again before they had another like it.