So this is like if what Emma told Henry about his father in True North was true, she met him while she was working at a diner and he was a fireman and that he died in a fire while saving a family. This is going to be a two part fic, so there will be one more chapter after this one. Hope you enjoy this, and leave me a review to tell me what you think :)
"I had just gotten out of the foster system, and the only job I could get was at this 24 hour diner just off the interstate . Your father was training to be a fireman and he always would get the worst shifts so he would come in and order coffee and pie and sit at the counter, and always complain that we didn't sell pumpkin pie. But he always came back the next night anyway."
...
Another night on the same old boring job, another shift full of waiting on people who had just gotten off the late shift of work and dealing with countless men hitting on the young blonde. The only thing she looked foreward to during her late shifts was knowing that sometime soon he would walk through the front door, sit down at his usual spot on the counter, and order his normal coffee and pie, and instantly make her night better.
His name was Neal Cassidy, and he was training to be a volunteer firefighter. Every night after his shift was done he would stop by the diner Emma Swan worked at, order a coffee and pie, and strike up a conversation with the young blonde that lasted most of the night until her boss yelled at her to get back to work. Her boss seemed to be getting a little more lenient recently, giving them five or so more minutes extra than normal, and more of asking her to get back to work than commanding her.
One particular night, after a more stressful busy day of work, Emma counted down the seconds until she would finally be with him again and all the stress if the day would melt away. It was finally 10 o'clock, his usual time of apperance, and just as she looked away from the clock she heard the door open and saw a tall thin man with dark hair and dark eyes walk up to the counter and sit down.
"Excuse me mam, could I get a coffee and a slice of pie?" he said to the blonde behind the counter who had eagerly awaited his arrival.
"What kind of pie would you like?"
"You got pumpkin pie?"
"Same as always, no we don't."
"What an outrage," he responded with mock anger, "you should really change that. Pumpkin is the best kind after all."
Turning around with a smile on her face to get his order ready, she could already feel the days stress evaporate into the air just with his presence. She placed a warm mug of coffee and a plate of his usual substitute flavor pie, apple.
"It may not be as great as pumpkin, but it's still pretty good," he said taking a bite of the pie sitting on the counter in front of him.
The discussions of the night began with Emma telling Neal about all that had happened to her that day, and he told her about his day. They talked about other topics, talking a few hours into the night. The diner was fairly empty that night, so they were allowed more time than usual to talk, and eventually it lead to Neal asking Emma to get together after her shift was done.
"Would you wanna maybe go out and do something together outside of work?" He asked with his charming tone she loved to hear.
"Like a-a date?"
"Ya, I guess, like a date," he answered with a smile.
"Sure, ya sure" she said, trying to contain the joy that wanted to burst out of her. She had been waiting weeks for this to happen.
"Great, maybe I could walk you home after your shift?"
"That would be wonderful."
He finished his pie and took the last sip of his coffee. She took his empty dishes to the back, removed her apron, clocked out, and came to meet him in the front of the diner. He grabbed her hand in his, and they headed in the direction of her small apartment a few blocks down. Reaching the door to her building, she released his hand, kissed his cheek, whispered goodnight into his ear, and turned around to head inside. Just as she was about to begin to climb the steps to go inside, he grabbed her hand.
"Same thing tomorrow?"
"Same thing tomorrow," she confirmed with a smile.
And so Neal Cassidy walking Emma Swan home became a daily thing, and she couldn't be happier.