Hands up if you loved "Manhattan"! *raises hands as high as possible* :) Personally, I loved the episode even if it was obvious who Baelfire was. Either way, I thought the way they did the whole reveal with Henry and Rumple was well done.

Thanks to all your lovely reviews, here is the epilogue for this one-shot. I know it goes against what really happened, but I couldn't just end it without letting you all know if Emma decided to meet up with Neal. I must apologize for any spelling mistakes/grammar errors that are in either of the two chapters (I did both in the wee hours and my spell check can only do so much lol). I hope you all enjoy reading!

*I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of the characters

"Emma," Neal started, walking towards her, fear of being punched be damned. "Emma, I can't face my father right now, but I do want to talk to you. Meet me tomorrow at the Four Seasons at 9am, please. Please Emma."

She had been tossing and turning all night, replaying what Neal had said to her over and over in her mind. In a span of less than 20 minutes, her life had thrown her yet another curveball, shattering what she had thought she had known. It wasn't enough that a son she had given up for adoption 11 years ago showed up on her doorstep on her 28th birthday; it wasn't enough she saw a man she had begun to fall for die in her arms, and it wasn't enough to find out she was the daughter of Snow White and freaking Prince Charming. No, life had decided to destroy the good memories she had had of her past. The only man she had ever truly loved was in fact the son of Rumplestiltskin.

Lying on her back, staring at the hotel room ceiling, Emma sighed. It was too much for one person to deal with! Normal people didn't have to deal with this sort of stuff, but of course she wasn't exactly normal. Turning her head, Emma glanced over to see Henry sleeping peacefully beside her. She had never paid too much attention to it, but he really did look like the perfect mix of Neal and herself; sometimes the way he smiled at her...it reminded her of those times when Neal would smile and look at her like she was his whole world.

As her eyes began to tear, Emma looked to see the clock that read 6:00am. Deciding she needed some air, she pulled back the covers trying her hardest not to make an sudden movements that would wake her son. Readjusting the blankets so to cover Henry up, Emma stroked his hair before walking out onto the balcony. Her life had changed so much in a year. She had always feared that one day the child she had given up would come looking for her, discover just how broken she really was. At 18 she had not been ready to be a mother, to take on the responsibility of caring for another person, especially all by herself. Now, here she was willing to do anything to protect Henry and keep him safe no matter the circumstances.

Staring out into the New York streets, Emma once again began to replay the previous day's events back in her mind. Neal was Rumplestiltskin's son. Baelfire is Henry's father. That was why she had told him to run back in the alley. It was almost a blessing that Neal didn't want to talk to his father, it saved Emma from having to tell him about Henry. She knew it was wrong, Henry deserved to know the truth about his father, but she wasn't ready for that. He had broken her heart and made it so that she learned never to trust anyone ever again.

Emma was absentmindedly playing with her necklace, as she always did when she was in deep thought when she remembered what Neal had said just before he left,

"I'm glad you kept the keychain, although I really think it's much prettier as a necklace."

It had thrown her off guard. She wore the necklace everyday so she always forgot that she was wearing it, but he had surely noticed. After all, he was the one who gave it to her. Taking a deep breath, Emma continued with her thoughts as the sun began to rise over the line of sky-rises. Neal had asked to meet her at 9am. She had less than 3 hours to decide what to do. Should she go to the Four Seasons? NO! He had broken her heart, he was a liar, why should she give him the decency he never gave her? On the other hand, she had so many questions about how much he knew, and perhaps seeing him one last time would give her the closure she had never received.

"Mom?" a voice suddenly sounded, jolting Emma from her tranquil surroundings. Turning around, she saw Henry in his pajamas, rubbing his face and squinting his eyes not accustomed to the brightness of day. "What are you doing out here? Everything okay?"

Smiling at her son's worried tone, Emma replied, "Everything's fine, kid. I just couldn't sleep. Somebody kept hogging all the covers." Giving her son a playful wink to indicate she was only joking, Henry chuckled as he made his way to her side, placing his arms on the railing and looking at the view.

"So this is New York, huh?" Henry commented, craning his head as hard as he could in both directions in order to see as much as he physically could.

"Mhmm. Not exactly Storybrooke is it?" Emma smirked. Being such a small town, Storybrooke didn't even have a formal transit system, here in New York transit was a way of life. "I bet you've never seen this much traffic in your whole life, kid." she continued.

"Nope. Mom wasn't allowed to go across the town line, so Storybrooke was all I ever knew. That is until..."

"Boston." Emma finished, looking down at Henry with a knowing glance. Not many 10 year olds would have the courage to leave home and cross states in order to find someone. While it was hard to be mad at Henry for having done so, Emma couldn't be too upset because it had brought him to her.

"What about you? Is this your first time in New York?" Henry asked, hoping to gain a little insight into his Mom's past. He knew she was guarded, but perhaps the fact that she had just got up would play into his favour.

Knowing what Henry was trying to due, Emma decided to indulge him, "No, I've been here a few times, never for more than a few days though. Every once in a while I'd have to find someone, and for some reason people think moving to one of the busiest cities will help them stay hidden." Emma wrapped her arm over the boy's shoulders and pulled him into her side.

"Kind of like Baelfire?" the boy questioned in innocence.

Blinking a few times, Emma pulled back in shock, but finally shrugged and scoffed. "Yeah, I guess so."

"But you'll be able to find him. It's what you do best, just like Gramps and Gran!" Henry stated enthusiastically with a smile.

Damn, there it was again. The smile that reminded her so much of Neal.

"I guess it must run in the family then, since you also found me." Emma returned with a smile of her own. I'm so glad he did.

At that statement, Henry's eyes grew wide. "Oh yeah!" he shouted, happy that he found something else besides hot chocolate with cinnamon that he could attribute to his inheritance. Wrapping his arms around his mother's waist, the pair stayed wrapped up in an embrace for a few moments before Emma realized they had been on the balcony for quite some time.

Suggesting that he go and try to sleep for a little while longer while she took a shower, Henry released his grasp on her and began to walk back through the sliding balcony door. Just as he was about to enter the room, Emma called out to him.

"Henry?"

"Yeah?" he replied looking back at Emma, noticing her watery expression.

"I-I'm really glad you showed up, in Boston I mean." she clarified, trying to get out what she was trying to say. She really was not good at this sort of stuff, but she would learn. "I'm really glad you found me."

"Me too, Mom."

Henry's little figure had barely made it through the doors before Emma couldn't contain her tears any longer. Wiping away at the wetness on her cheeks, she ran her hands through her hair and composed herself before making her way back into the room.

After mulling over her possible options in the shower, Emma knew what she had to do. Gold was going to be at her door at 10 am demanding that they resume their search for his son, and Neal had asked to meet her at 9. She had to hurry if she was going to pull this off. Quickly drying herself and washing up, Emma threw on some clothes and walked into the bedroom where Henry had fallen asleep once again.

"Henry! Henry wake up!" She commanded, shaking the little boy with just enough pressure to get him to open his eyes.

"Wha-? What is it? I thought you said I could sleep? Is Mr. Gold here? Are we going searching again?" Henry asked groggily trying to figure out why his mother was awakening him.

"No, it's not Mr. Gold. I need you to get up and get dressed."

This was not going to be easy.

Neal had never expected to see Emma ever again. Of course, he had told August to send him a message when the curse had been broken, but that hadn't meant he was ready to go looking for her. It was clear to him that she had a full blown hatred for him, and he really couldn't blamer her. He had abandoned her, just like his own father had and he hated himself for it. Those years that they had spent running around together, stealing from families and convenience stores, he knew how much Emma had wanted to find her parents. As much as it pained him to leave her, when August had came to him that night revealing her destiny of being the "saviour", he knew letting her go would finally give her the best chance to find her her yesterday had brought back all the feelings for her that he had spent 11 years trying to suppress.

When she had revealed that his father was the reason for her being in New York, he panicked and could only think of getting as far away as possible from that man, but seeing her wearing the keychain, it had to mean something. So, he had asked her to meet him this morning. He wanted to ask her what had happened after the watch incident, find out what she had done after, and what her life was like now that she had her family.

Stepping out of the elevator at exactly 9am, Neal took a shaky breath and clenched his sweaty palms. He was beyond nervous. He just hoped Emma would give him the chance to into the hotel restaurant, the hostess looked up at him awaiting for him to say something.

"Um, good morning. I'd like a table for two for Neal Cassidy please?" Neal stated unsurely.

"Right this way Mr. Cassidy, your party has already arrived." The hostess replied as Neal obediently followed.

Ever step he took felt like his feet were turning to lead. As the waitress stopped and gestured to the table just ahead of him, Neal thanked the lady and turned back to the table. He suddenly felt the blood drain from his face and the world turn upside down.

"You!" Neal managed to utter in disbelief. He was dressed in a black pinstripe suit that made him fit into the New York business scene and was using a cane to support his weight, but there was no mistaking who he was. It had been centuries since he had actually seen him last, but every night just before he fell asleep, he still saw the same cowardly man dressed in rags that let his arm go as he fell back into the green abyss. The memory haunted his dreams and was a constant reminder of just how alone he was in the land without magic.

"Bae..." Rumplestiltskin whispered as his eyes began to water. "You came! My boy, look how big you've grown! Please, sit down Bae," he requested as he gestured to the empty seat across from him.

Standing stunned in his place, he began looking around for any sign of Emma. Quickly realizing she was not there, Neal rushed towards his father, slamming his hand on the table in rage.

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER? WHERE IS SHE?!" Neal shouted, not sure if it was fear or anger that was causing his outburst of emotion. She had said she owed his father a favour, made a deal to get him to talk to the man, and he knew more than anyone making a deal with the Dark One was a dangerous situation.

"Bae, please! Keep your voice down!" Rumple whispered fiercely. People had started looking over at the pair, wondering what all the commotion was about. "What are you talking about? Where is who?"

"EMMA! I know she made a deal with you, now tell me where she is!" Lowering his voice a tad, Neal was still towering over his father who was nearly shrinking into the chair that he sat.

"Ms. Swan? What does it matter Bae? Please sit down so we can talk." He pleaded with all of his might.

Neal gave the man a disgusted look. "You think I don't know what's going on, hmm? What the Dark One is capable of? You found out I was supposed to meet Emma here and got angry didn't you? You got angry that she lied, did something to her and then decided this was your chance to meet me, wasn't it!?"

"No, Bae I did no such thing! Ms. Swan and I merely had an agreement. Now please, sit dow-"

"I am NOT sitting down to talk to you! Now tell me, WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER!?" Neal seethed placing his hand on the table and the other hand on the chair trapping his father in his place.

Startled at his son's demeanor, Rumple answered without hesitation. "Nothing, I swear! She came to my room telling me that she had found out where you were and that I was to meet you here at 9 o'clock! I left the hotel and came here straight away after that. I did her no harm, I assure you. What does Ms. Swan have to do with you?" Puzzlement began to fill the older man's mind. There was no way his son would have so much emotion over a women he had never met, unless...

"You know each other, don't you?" he questioned accusingly. Seeing the change in the man's face, Rumple knew he was correct. "How do you two know each other?"

Moving so that he was standing straight and no longer trapping the Dark One in his place, Neal took a step back. "That's none of your business. You lost the right to know my business the moment you abandoned me. I have nothing to say to you. We're done. Tell me where I can find her."

When his father said nothing, Neal shook his head and shrugged holding his arms out in a dismissive act, and began to walk away from the table. Hearing his father calling his name and the sound of a chair being pushed back, Neal kept walking away. He had to go find Emma and make sure she really was alright. As Neal entered the lobby, he heard the Dark One's voice ring out from behind him.

"They're gone son, they left as soon as she told me where you were."

Coming to a halt, Neal turned around to see the man walking towards him, limping even with the assistance of his cane.

"They? Who's They? Emma and who else?" he questioned. Did she have someone with her? A boyfriend? Was she married?

"Henry." Rumple answered simply, "Her son. She said that she had fulfilled her part of the agreement and that she was heading back to Storybrooke immediately, that there was no reason for her to stick around."

"A son? She has a son?!-Wait. How old is he?"

"Yes, a rather intelligent young man. Reminds me of you when you were his ag-"

"How old is Henry?" Neal demanded once more, his hands beginning to shake.

"He's 11, why?" Rumple asked before noticing the colour began to drain from his son's face and ran his hands through his hair in distress. Suddenly, it dawned on him how he and Ms. Swan had been acquainted. Before he could say anything, the pair was interrupted by a stout man in a suit.

"Mr. Cassidy? So sorry to interrupt, but this was left for you at the front desk." The concierge handed Neal an envelope and left the men in silence. Looking down at the envelope, Neal saw that his name was written on it, and he knew it was from her. Quickly ripping it open, he pulled a piece of paper out and began to read.

"Neal,

You know more than anyone how hard I searched to find my parents growing up. I don't know what happened between the two of you, but I know that he sure as hell wants you back in his life. Whether you choose to do so is your decision.

I'm sorry I didn't meet you. Seeing you yesterday brought back all the painful memories and heartbreak that you caused me those years ago, and I don't know if I'll ever be able to forgive you for that. You let me go to jail, and abandoned me when I loved you. Believe me when I say that if I had known you were Gold's son, I never would have come to New York in the first place. I don't know if I can believe that us meeting 11 years ago was just a coincidence, but I guess it doesn't matter now. I'm over it and have learned to move on.

Emma

PS- I kept the keychain, as a reminder to never trust anyone."

He re-read the letter 3 times over before slowly folding the letter back up. Noticing the envelope still had some weight to it, Neal tipped the envelope on it's side until he felt something land in his hand. Looking down, he saw her keychain necklace staring up at him. Closing his hand around the pendant, he silently shook his head. He had a son that she had never planned on telling him about. If he had known, he never would have left her, no matter what the damn wooden puppet would have said. He was not going to abandon his son the way he was abandoned.

"Bae?" Rumple asked cautiously. Finding out you have an 11 year old son was not an everyday occurrence. "Son? Please say something to me?"

Moving his gaze away from his hand that was clenching the pendant, Neal looked into the eyes of the man he had grown to hate with a look of determination.

"Take me to Storybrooke."

And there you have it folks! I hope you all enjoyed reading the story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Especially because this story does not follow the show/is behind the show event wise, I will say that this story is complete and probably won't have a sequel about Neal arriving in Storybrooke, but stranger things have happened. I never thought I would be a SwanFire/SwanThief shipper after falling in love with Graham and Emma but it's happened. I can't wait to see how the show deals with the whole Neal situation, but it's sure to be interesting!

Once again, thank you for all your kind reviews that you have left. I read each and every one and cherish them all! If you have the time, good or bad, anonymous or not, please leave a word about this piece because your feedback means so much to me!

Until next time!