"Neal it's not that big a deal." She says the next morning, tousling Henry's hair as she sets a plate of eggs down on the table.
"Not that big a deal?" He questions, "Emma you left without getting the papers signed."
"I'll go back."
"No."
"Why?" She asks, following him back into the living room, he gives her a look at he shoves his foot in his boots. She gives him one right back, "Are you jealous?"
"You married a complete stranger while you were engaged to me. You're engaged to me, we'd be married by now if-"
"I was really drunk."
"There had to be a reason you agreed to it other than the fact that you and Ruby were drunk off your asses."
"Come on-"
"Just get the papers signed, Emma."
"How am I supposed to do that if I can't go get them?" She folds her arms over her chest and he shakes his head, standing and grabbing his keys.
"Just figure it out." He says firmly.
"Would it make you feel better if you come with me?" She asks, might even be easier if he was there. Neal doesn't like to joke around.
"You shouldn't have left them in the first place." He says, "But yes." He presses a kiss to her cheek and then leaves.
Later when Neal is off of work they get in his car and head over. It's late again, the school had let out hours ago. She tells him he might not even be there.
"This is a nice place." Neal says looking around as they walk down the hallway, "How did Ruby afford this?"
"Student loans, mostly," Emma says as she turns the corner, his door is open this time and he is here. Does he live here? She knocks on the doorframe.
"I understand Mrs. Martinez but she has to do the work by herself…" Killian is on the phone, writing something on the board and she looks at Neal, who mouths, That's the guy? She rolls her eyes.
"No offense but this is a conversation your daughter needs to have with me," Killian says softly, glancing at them and putting his index finger up. He looks pretty annoyed today and she wonders what they're talking about. They wait a little while and a few minutes later, he hangs the phone up with a heavy sigh and turns toward them.
"You can come in." He says and Neal closes the door when they enter.
"Did you sign the papers?" Emma asks, and he runs a hand over his face, shaking his head.
"Forgot all about them, love."
"Love?" Neals' head snaps in her direction and Killian turns back to the board.
"Cultural thing, lad. Nothing to worry about, I assume this is your fiance?"
"Yes."
"I'm Neal Cassidy." Neal introduces himself.
"Killian Jones."
"Lovely." Neal nods, "Look, can you sign the papers so we can get out of here?"
"Sure." Killian didn't really put up a fight, just set down his marker and went to his desk, no jokes. Is he okay? Why should she care? "Oh dear." He says, rummaging through his bag and checking folders.
"Oh dear, what?"
"It would appear I left them at home."
"Are you serious?" Emma runs a hand through her hair, "Really?"
"Something that important and you left it at home?"
"Wasn't aware you'd be coming back."
"Obviously." Neal snaps.
"Neal." Emma nudges his arm.
"No, this is ridiculous, he should have signed them yesterday when you asked. Instead, he gave you a hard time." It's true, he should have signed them yesterday, but he didn't. She sighs.
"If I give you my contact information, can you mail them when you do sign them?"
"Don't give him your-"
"Do you want the papers or not?" Emma asks, Neal rolls his eyes.
"I don't like this," Neal mutters as she grabs a piece of paper and a pen and starts writing everything down. As she writes it down Neal and Killian start talking. Killian asks about the wedding, what they have planned. And Neal tells him they'd be married by now if it wasn't for him.
"I didn't force her to marry me." Killian says raising an eyebrow, Emma hands over the piece of paper, "thank you, love."
"Will you stop calling her that? It's Emma." Neal snaps.
"Apologies." Killian smirked, "Habit." Neal grabs hold of Emma's arm, a little rougher than she was okay with, but he's upset.
"We're leaving."
"You wanna loosen your grip on her arm there, mate?" Killian snaps at him.
"Excuse me?"
"You're hurting her."
"She's fine." He says, pulling Emma towards the door and slamming it.
Okay, so that could have gone better. Neal hates him. He complained the whole way home, how could he forget them? How? She stays up with Henry, who must have caught something from school because he has a fever and is pretty much glued to her side all night. He keeps asking for Neal, but Neal is leaving tomorrow on a business trip and needs to sleep.
"Want to try and eat something for me?" Emma asks softly, smoothing his dark hair back, but he just shakes his head, fingers toying with the pages of the book she just finished reading to him. Her phone vibrates next to her with a text message. She doesn't know the number.
K: "It's Killian, you gave me your number so I figured I'd give you mine. Sorry, I know it's late."
E: "It's fine I'm up with a sick five-year-old anyways." Emma sighs, turning her attention back to the movie, they're watching Snow White and The Seven Dwarves and they're about halfway through it now. Her phone vibrates again.
K: "I didn't know you had a kid."
E: "You didn't ask."
K: "I have two nephews. They're twins."
E: "Oh god, your poor sister."
K: "Brother, actually. I'm sure he's fine. He actually lives near you."
E: "How close?"
K: "The same town, love. Teaches at the school, do you know Elsa? Owns the ice cream parlor with her Aunt Ingrid."
E: "Henry loves that place. Elsa is very nice."
K: "That's my brother Liam's wife. A Very sweet girl. She can sometimes be a little cold though. Small world."
E: "Small world." She sets her phone down when Neal comes down the stairs, tilting his head.
"You coming to bed anytime soon?" He asks and she nods.
"In a minute, I want to get him to eat something, he barely ate dinner." She says and Henry groans, not liking the idea of having to eat. She gets him to eat half a granola bar and a little juice before Neal carries him to bed. She's picking up laundry when she finds something sticking out of Neals pants pocket. A pair of black lace panties and she blinks, fingers running over the fabric.
"I hate sleeping without you." He says when he comes back in, "Emma?" She swallows.
"What are these?" She asks, holding the panties up by the tip of her pinky and he shrugs.
"Look like women's underwear."
"Whose?"
"Are you sure they're not yours?"
"I don't…" She shakes her head, she would never wear something like this, do they even count as underwear? What would they cover up? "No. I have never in my life worn something like this."
"Ruby does her laundry here sometimes, maybe they're hers."
"They were in your pocket."
"Emma, are you accusing me of something?"
"I'm holding another woman's thong that was in your pocket, what do you think this looks like?" He sighs.
"They could have gotten tangled up in the dirty clothes." He shrugs, he's calm. Too calm. But Emma nods and tosses them back in the basket, heading for the laundry room. She snaps a few pictures and sends them to Ruby.
E: "Yours?"
R: "Crotchless? EEEWWWW" Emma doesn't respond, loads the laundry machine and goes to bed.
"I think Neal is cheating on me." Emma says softly, watching as Ruby licks the ice cream off her spoon. They're sitting at a table at Happy Snowman the ice cream place Killian's sister in law runs with her aunt. They're not here because of that, they planned on going before it closed for the winter. Ruby releases the spoon from her lips with a pop.
"Because of the panties?"
"Yeah…"
"I take it they weren't yours."
"That's why I asked if they were yours."
"Ugh. I would never." Ruby makes a face, "Gross."
"He's also been really distant lately," Emma says, glancing at Henry, he's playing with two boys. Ruby nods.
"I'm going to ask you a personal question now." She says, scooping some ice cream.
"Okay…"
"When's the last time you and Neal had sex?" She asks, raising an eyebrow when Emma actually has to think about it.
"Uuuhh."
"Do you not know?" She makes a face, "God it's been that long?"
"Yeah…" She says softly, honestly, he hasn't been all that affectionate with her in a long time. Just the occasional kiss on the cheek.
"Emma you gotta get laid." Ruby whispers, "If it's been so long you genuinely don't remember…"
"If he's getting it from somewhere else, what makes you think he'll want-"
"Not saying you have to get it from him."
"Ruby, I'm not cheating on Neal."
"Is it really cheating if you have sex with your husband?"
"I'm not having sex with Killian."
"Why? Girl, you gotta consummate that-"
"I am not cheating on Neal with Killian," Emma says it more firmly.
"Okay." Ruby puts her hands up in surrender, "Did you confront him?"
"Yes."
"And he said?"
"The underwear must have tangled up with his jeans and got in his pocket." She says with a shrug and Ruby nearly chokes on her ice cream.
"Oh my god and you believed him?" She asks, "Emma…"
"What am I supposed to do? Kick him out? He's the father of my child."
"Emma, if he's cheating on you...for god sake you are not obligated to stay with him because the two of you have a kid together." Ruby shakes her head. And she's right, she shouldn't feel like she has to stay with him, but she wants Henry to have what she never had.
A real, whole, family.
Neal is out of town for the next few days, she texts him to tell him Henry is feeling better and he texts back an hour later.
N: "That's great, Em. I can't talk right now though, I'm heading to a meeting." She sighs, it's really late, what meeting could he possibly be going to? Then again, he could be somewhere where it's earlier. She curls up in a ball and texts him back.
E: "Have a nice night."
N: "Love you." Emma sighs, writing 'I'm lonely' before erasing it.
E: "I love you too." She sets her phone on the end table, turning over and trying to go to sleep, but her phone vibrates and she sits up, thinking it's Neal.
K: "I know it's kind of late, but I have to ask. Does your fiance always grab you like that?" She sighs.
E: "I'm fine. He was just upset, he wants to get married but we can't."
K: "Is he rough with you when he gets upset?"
E: "It's not like that." He doesn't answer for a few minutes and she thinks the conversation is over, but then he actually calls her. She debates whether she should answer or let it ring. She answers.
"What?" She asks.
"I'm sorry I asked those questions, I know your relationship is none of my business." He says, "I will say this though, if he ever grabs you like that again, I'll break his arm."
"It wasn't as bad as you think it was."
"Did it leave a mark?" He asks and she rolls her eyes, it did, she has bruises that match his fingers, but it's not that bad. "I'll take your silence as a yes."
"Killian-"
"How is your boy?" He asks softly.
"Better."
"That's great to hear, love."
"Sign those papers yet?" She asks softly and he goes quiet. "Really?"
"Is my signature the only thing keeping you and Neal from getting legally married?"
"Yes."
"Not really sure I want to sign it, love. Not after the other day."
"It wasn't that bad."
"Emma, I don't care how bad you think it was or wasn't. He hurt you."
"I'm about to take you to court." She says, leaning against the pillows, "I was supposed to be married five days ago."
"Swan, do you want to marry him?"
"Excuse me?"
"Do you want to marry him?" He asks again, softer this time, dead serious. She shakes her head. This is an inappropriate question for him to be asking her.
"Yes." She says.
"He's the father of your son, yes?"
"Yes."
"Emma, when did he propose?"
"Why?"
"Was it before or after you found out you were pregnant?" He asks, "You mentioned the other day you've been together a little over five years, your son is five now. Means you were only together a couple of months before you got pregnant, correct?" She bites her lip. He's right, but this isn't his business.
"Neal loves me."
"Answer the question, love." He says.
"It was after...he proposed after. But that doesn't mean any-"
"He's not around a lot, is he?" Killian asks softly. "Does he go on a lot of work assignments?"
"I don't know what you're implying, but it's none of your business."
"Swan, I think the question you need to ask yourself here is if he's marrying you because he wants you, or if he's marrying you out of obligation."