Neal blinked. He blinked again while staring at the ceiling.

"Eighty-seven, eighty-six…"

He was laying in his bed at Granny's for the first time in what seemed like forever, even though technically it was only a week or so, not being able to sleep. He pathetically had resorted to counting sheep.

"Seventy-nine, Seventy-eight…oh fuck this," he said as threw his body to his side, reaching up to scrunch his pillow. He just settled down again when he heard a soft knock on the door.

"Neal? Neal? Are you there?"

'Emma?' Neal thought, confused, hearing more knocking, louder now.

Before Emma could finish saying his name for the third time he jumped out of bed, turned on a light, and rushed to open the door, not caring he was only wearing his boxers.

"Emma, are you OK? Is Henry OK?" Neal asked, freaking out a little on the inside. He stopped short once the door was fully open, taken aback by the sight of Emma looking at him, looking lost and a scared. "Emma?…."

"Yeah, we're both fine. I think. Can I come in?"

"Of course," Neal said as he moved to the side to allow Emma past him. He quickly shut the door and turned back to her as she was looking around his room. He could have sworn she seemed nervous, but when she turned back to him, her stature was back to normal.

"Did Henry seem strange to you tonight?"

"Strange?" Neal thought about it for a moment. "Not really that I could tell. He was a little quiet, but he seemed fine. Why do you ask?"

"He was too quiet. He didn't react to getting his book back. And he wanted to stay with Regina tonight," Emma answered.

Neal couldn't help but smirk a little when the point about Regina was mentioned, something that didn't go unnoticed by Emma.

"What?" she asked, annoyed by his reaction.

"It's been a really long week for all of us. I'm sure he's just overwhelmed. I don't think it means anything."

Emma sighed, looking down. Before she could process what Neal had said, she heard him add, "But it might be a good idea to sit down with him tomorrow, see how he's dealing with everything. We can do that if it'll make you feel better."

Emma looked back up to Neal, taking a step closer to him, "Yeah, lets do that. Thank you."

"I'll do anything for you, you should know that."

Suddenly nervous, maybe it was Neal's sincerity in those words, or the closing distance between them, Emma started looking around again. "Maybe I should get going."

"…Alright."

Emma took a step to the side, closer to the door, but also closer to Neal. Still looking anywhere but at his face, her eyes landed on his bare chest. But not just anywhere on his chest, at a small mark on the left side, a mark left there from a healed bullet wound.

Before she could help herself, she stepped right up to Neal, and slowly reached out to touch it, never lifting her eyes to his face. Barely touching it, she saw Neal's chest rise as he hitched in his breath.

After a long pause, Emma asked in a whisper "How did you survive?"

"I don't know," Neal responded honestly, almost as softly as Emma spoke.

That answer surprised her and she finally looked up at him, searching his eyes for more information. "Did Pan heal you?"

"The portal didn't bring me to Neverland. It brought me home…the Enchanted Forest."

Emma didn't say anything, just looked more confused. "By the time I woke up, I was already healed. I'm not sure how they did it. And I forgot to ask," Neal said, laughing at the last part.

"Who helped you?"

"Your friends. Aurora…Mulan…"

"You found them?"

"Well, they actually found me. I woke up in Aurora's castle," Neal answered. "The only thing I cared about was getting back to you and Henry. So that's what I did."

More silence.

"Can I stay here with you tonight?" Emma asked quickly, looking Neal straight in the eye, trying to hide her desperation for a positive answer.

Neal was surprised, but he also knew Emma long enough to know how hard that question probably was for her to ask; even it only meant she didn't want to be alone. "Of course."

Without another word, Emma turned around and headed towards the bed. Neal watched as she took off her boots first, then her sweater, and then surprisingly, her pants.

He couldn't help but look at her bare legs, legs he only saw in his dreams for the past eleven years, legs that he could practically still feel wrapped around his waist if he thought hard enough.

Emma crawled onto the furthest side of the bed and looked at Neal, catching him as he continued to stare at her, his eyes on her thighs now. "Coming?"

"Yeah," Neal said, barely choked out, shaking his head to clear it of fond memories. He turned to the door and went over to lock it before walking to the bed. Before getting in, he gathered up the covers and lifted them so Emma could slip inside. He followed, making sure the covers were protecting them against the cold night.

After Neal turned off the light, Emma settled herself up against his side. It seemed so normal; like it was just yesterday they slept together every night. Neal on his back, Emma on her side, arms & legs wrapped around him, using his shoulder as a pillow. Of course, by the morning Neal somehow found his way to his stomach, while Emma still had a limb or two draped over him.

They laid there in silence for a while before Emma's hand made its way back to Neal's wound, laying it almost firmly over the spot as if protecting it.

"How did you get to Neverland?" Emma asked, breaking the heavy peace that seemed to fill the room.

"Mulan and Robin Hood helped me find a way."

"Robin Hood?" Emma asked skeptically.

"Yeah, funny huh? He was living at my father's palace."

"Did he have his merry men with him?" Emma joked.

"In fact, he did!" Neal laughed, "and his son. The kid was actually how I was able to get to Neverland."

Emma waited for him to continue.

"Long story short, I realized you weren't in Storybrooke anymore by using a crystal ball to find you. Once I knew you were in Neverland, I realized we could use the boy to conjure up Pan's shadow to take me there."

"How did you use the kid?"

"You are so full of questions, aren't you?" Neal asked playfully.

"I want to know everything….everything that happened till I found you in the cave. Please."