[Ch. 2- No Such Thing as Ghosts]
[6 Weeks Ago- Camelot]
Robin would be fine now, Emma thought as she stood on the steps, her hand still on the railing. Behind her the door was closed. Robin was on the table, healed but resting and some of her friends and family were still in the room with him.
She hated the sight of her left hand that was starting to shine. It made her sparkle like those vampires in those Twilight movies whenever their skin touched sunlight. Yes she had seen those movies. She loved vampires and scary movies as a kid but those vampires were anything but scary. They might've worked for some people but she wasn't one of them.
And more importantly she hated the darkness that had become her companion, that in the shape of Rumpelstiltskin the crocodile. She hated that he was right, that there was a part of her that liked the power in healing Robin and earlier that had liked the power in taking Mirada's heart and on the verge of crushing it. She hated herself for even so much as liking any of that.
However, if this was the price she had to pay then so be it. Regina's words had hit home too deeply. She had lost love before and she wasn't ready to do so again. To that Emma could relate.
"Emma," Mary Margaret said as she came out of the room.
Emma quickly turned around and placed her hand behind her back.
"Everything okay?"
Emma smiled, "It's fine, mom. I'm just a little tired."
"I thought you were going to go lie down."
"I was but I changed my mind."
"Emma, are you sure everything's okay?"
"It will be. I think I'm just gonna walk for a little while, give myself a little time to clear my head."
"Okay, I'll come with you," said Mary Margaret.
"That's okay, I really just want to be alone."
Mary Margaret nodded, "Sure. Emma, you know I'm here if you need me."
Emma smiled, "I know." She then went up to her mom and hugged her, "I love you," she said hugging tighter and not wanting to ever let go.
"I love you too," Mary Margaret said.
Emma did release her mother and made her way down the stairs. The party was still going in the main ballroom. She had to bypass it to get to her room and as she did so she thought she had seen a glimpse of someone she knew.
"Neal?" Emma said aloud.
Emma blinked for a second and by then Neal was gone. She shook her head. Of course he hadn't been there. She had only wanted him to be.
Up on the stairs Rumple had told Emma that the kiss hadn't worked with her and Hook because if it had she would not be glimmering. Emma knew what that had meant and it brought pain to her heart. More than anything she had wanted Hook to be the love of her life, or at least present. She did love Hook, at least she told him, at least she'd told herself that she was in love with him. Maybe that had been the problem; trying to convince herself of a love she didn't really have.
Maybe you only got one love of a lifetime in a single existence.
Emma blinked away her tears but they didn't go unnoticed.
"May I help you Princess Emma," a handmaiden asked as she came up to her, "Are you in some form of distress that I may be of assistance?"
Princess. Though Emma knew of her parent's royalty, it was difficult to apply such a term to herself.
"I'm fine," Emma replied, "I was just headed to my room to change but thank you."
The handmaiden nodded and made her leave. Emma tried to shut out her thoughts as she made her way past the party.
"Ya know," said Rumple, "There are much easier ways to do this sort of thing if ya let me teach you," he said as Emma was walking deep into the woods, "A puff of smoke to get ya to where ya goin', a wave of the hand to change your outfit. All tricks of the trade."
"I'm not interested," Emma said. She was glad she was wearing pants. If it was one thing she hated about her travels it had to be wearing a dress in the woods. "Why are you even following me anyways, I haven't used magic since I left."
"That may be true but you and I are now two peas in a pod. Where you go, I go."
"Great," said Emma, "It was bad enough having to live in my own head now I have to have you living outside of it. Go away."
"I can't do that dearie. You chose to play hero and take on the powers of the Dark One, now this is the price you pay," Rumple said with a laugh.
"Will you just shut up? I came out here to be alone."
Emma looked around and she was glad to see that Rumple was gone, for the moment at least.
She only walked a few steps when she heard some rustling and then a voice.
"You know," said a strange familiar sounding voice.
The figure came out from behind the tree that was covering him, "It's not healthy to talk to yourself. A person can get locked up for that kind of thing," Neal said with a huge grin.
Emma closed her eyes, "No, you are not here, you are not here."
"Are you sure about that," said Neal, "because I'm pretty sure I am."
Emma opened her eyes, "What is it with you people? First your father and now you. Just leave me alone."
"You've been seeing my father? Damn that sucks. I'm here, Emma, I'm right here."
Emma shook her head, "You can't be. You died. It's just my mind playing tricks on me. I'm seeing what I want to see."
"And you wanted to see me," Neal said smugly, "Emma, I'm flattered. Can I ask why?"
It took Emma a moment to reply. She couldn't help but think of how good Neal looked, wearing a dark brown leather jacket that matched his brown pants and brown leather boots. She had never seen him in period clothing before, at least what would be considered period clothing back in her world.
"I'm not doing this," Emma said as she began to walk away from Neal, further into the woods.
"Doing what," Neal asked as he fell into step with her.
"I'm not having a conversation with…"
Emma stalled. She didn't even know what to call him. They hadn't exactly parted on the best of terms the first time when she was eighteen, the second time they were still trying to figure it out when Neal fell threw a portal that Tamara opened to Neverland, and once reunited they were back to figuring it out only to have Neal die on her in order to bring back his father. What did you call a person like that?
"With what," Neal asked as he still waited.
"With my baby daddy," Emma finally answered.
Neal smiled again, "Baby daddy, that's the best you could come up with?"
"Well what am I supposed to call you, Neal: Ghost, Conscience?"
"Give me some credit, I'm not Jiminy Cricket. I'm not even Pinocchio."
Emma let out a little smile, one that didn't go unnoticed by Neal.
"Tell me what you're thinking," he said to her.
"For a ghost you're not all knowing." Neal remained silent and waited for Emma. "Fine, I was thinking about Henry and when he first brought me to Storybrooke. He told me that Archie was Jiminy Cricket and I mentioned the whole lying thing and told him that his nose grew a little bit. He then told me he wasn't Pinocchio." Emma shook her head, "That seems like such a long time ago." Emma then let out a small sad smile, "You sounded just like him just now. I miss you."
"I haven't gone anywhere, Emma. I'm right here," Neal said as he stood in front of her, a few feet only separating them.
"No, I'm not going to do this. I'm not going to give into my delusions. I lost my chance with you when you died. That was over four months ago. This isn't real, as much as I want it to be."
"It is real Emma."
"No, it's not. You died, so now what you're some ghost trying to haunt me? Well it's not going to work. There's no such thing as ghosts."
"Back before you broke the curse you didn't believe in fairytales either. But Emma listen to me, I am real. I'm right here, I swear it's me. Use your power, see if I'm lying."
"You said you didn't believe in it."
"Yeah well you were right, I did. I still do. Use it on me, Emma. I'm as real as your family back at Camelot."
"No you're not," Emma said as she could feel the emotions inside getting stronger and the tears threatening her eyes, "You died in my arms, we buried you."
"That's the funny thing about death; sometimes you can never be too sure. You thought I'd died after falling through the portal, remember? Same thing"
"It isn't the same," Emma challenged, "It is not the same," she said as she turned around and started to walk away. "There was no portal that time, Neal. I have to get back, the others are probably worried. Just leave me alone."
