The sky was dark. Neal could just make out the tiny glow of the moonlight compared to the bright lights of Manhattan. He was surprised that for once it was somewhat calm. But Neal knew he shouldn't of. That was how his life worked. When one thing was finally starting to come together, when he finally thought he was going to be okay, something always came back to smack him in the face.
He had a son. A beautiful wonder son, who Neal had already fallen in love with. He wouldn't leave Henry. He had already made a promise to himself that Henry wouldn't feel abandoned like he had been by his father. And as much as it pained him to say, like he had done to Emma.
Emma, she was another complicated topic. He was happy she was here, she was his Emma. But he knew he had absolutely no right to call her that. Because he had a fiancée named Tamara. But Emma was his first love, the mother of his child! And Tamara was the women he loved now, living in the present. Eleven years is a long time. Neal had lost faith in August. He had figured Emma had never gone to break the curse and she was somewhere living with a new man in a big house, in a place anywhere besides Tallahassee. So he had moved on to Tamara.
It was an accident when they meet. August had come in contact with Neal and they were talking about God knows what when Neal had accidently ran into her. He had spilled his hot chocolate all over Tamara's bright orange coat. At first, he figured she would scream at him and then laugh because he was the only adult he knew who could not stand coffee. But she didn't. Tamara had smiled with her pearly white teeth and mentioned how she couldn't stand the bland taste of coffer either.
Instantly, Neal had taken a liking to her. There was just something about this beautiful British native African woman that immediately drew him to her. She wasn't like Emma. No one could ever be like Emma, but she was like Tamara. They went on silly dates and laughed all of the time. She was care free but when the moment came she could throw on a serious suit and fight for what she wanted. Tamara never gave up. It was as if an eternal flame of stubbornness lived inside of her.
"So," A light female voice that he had not herd for almost eleven years brought him back to the surface of reality that he had been trying so desperately to escape. "What are you going to do? " Emma stood with her arms crossed over her chest. Her light blond hair had been carelessly pulled back in a low pony tail. She was wearing black leggings and a grey shirtdress.
They had both been waiting to have this conversation. Now seemed like the best time. His father had left his apartment right after he and Henry had finished their talk. And since Henry had curled up fast asleep lazily in Neal's bed, now seemed like their only opportunity. "What do you think I should do?" Neal pulled his grey sweatshirt off as he slumped down into one of the kitchen chairs.
Emma, still guarding herself emotionally, leaned against the granite countertop for support. "I don't want you in my life. I still can't believe how effing insane this whole thing is!" She threw her head back and laughed mockingly. "But Henry want's you in his life. And you would be good for Henry." She cut Neal off before he could remind her that he was not going down without a fight.
"I want to be a part of his life Emma. And I'll make sure I will be. We're his parents. We have to be a team. For him."
Emma sighed, "I know Neal. But don't you have a job? A life. Henry isn't going to be able to leave Storybrooke anytime to fly to New York to see you."
"And why not?" Neal demanded. He was Henry's father. He had a right to see his son. It wasn't his fault that he never knew about Henry. He wanted to be there for Henry.
"Because Neal Henry isn't just my kid!" Emma screamed. Her eyes snapped open as she threw her hand over her mouth.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Neal growled. He was tired of Emma playing her emotional games with him. Didn't she understand that he was even more exhausted than she was? He couldn't even comprehend what had happened today. His mind hadn't even stoped throbbing enough for him to sit Emma down and tell her exactly why he had done what he did. He wanted to tell her that he was sorry how hurt she got but he still had to do it. He had to give her the chance at finding her family because that was what Emma had always wanted.
It was the saying if you love someone set them free. If they love you they'll come back, if they don't they were never yours to keep. But Emma had come back at the worst time. A time where he had a fiancée.
"Neal, I gave Henry up for adoption and his adoptive mother is the Evil Queen. The same Evil Queen who tried to kill my mother because she was prettier than her. And Regina, The Evil Queen, still wants Henry even after everyone knows who they are."
Neal felt like he had just been hit by a bus, dipped in a bath of acid, and trampled on at the same time. Emma didn't raise Henry. He didn't raise Henry. They both had left their child alone to the big bad world.
