Chapter 3: The Night Before


Tamara sat in a far booth at the diner. She toyed with her coffee cup as she waited. She had been in Storybrooke for three weeks and it had not been what she was expecting. On some levels it had been incredible but on others she had felt like this wasn't the life she signed up for. Tamara looked at the ring that was on her finger. She didn't dwell on it long as she turned when his hand was placed on her shoulder.

"Hey," Neal said taking the seat in front of her. "Got your note," he said.

"Thanks for meeting me," Tamara said not looking at him.

"Of course. So what's going on?"

Tamara took a breath and looked directly at Neal. "I'm leaving," she stated flat out.

"What do you mean you're leaving?"

"I'm going back to New York."

"Okay," said Neal. "I am sorry I have kept you from your work. It will be good to check back in I guess."

"No it's not like that Neal. I'm going back there to pack up my stuff. I got a job offer in California and I'm taking it."

"California! Why didn't you just turn it down?"

"I'll be the curator at one of the top museums there in the state. I wasn't going to let that opportunity pass."

"So you're going just like that? Were you even gonna talk to me about it?"

"I'm talking to you about it now."

"That's not what I mean. So how will this work, we see each other like college kids: weekends, holidays, what?"

"You could always come with me," said Tamara.

Neal looked down. "You know I can't do that. Henry's here."

"And Emma," she said.

"Emma," Neal said looking up. "She has nothing to do with this."

"I think she does Neal. You may not see it yet but it's there. I see it, your father, her parents, even Henry, hell the whole town does but for some reason the two of you are too blind to notice."

"There's nothing going on between me and her."

"Are you sure about that? In the time since I've been here how many times have we been alone? Whenever Henry is around so is Emma."

"That's because she doesn't trust me alone with him yet."

"And you haven't fought her on it either. I think you want her around and I can't compete with that. Since I've been here I've felt like more of a guest rather than your fiancé."

"Hey I'm trying here. We can figure this out."

"I don't want to figure it out. I do love you Neal but this is your life, not mine." Tamara looked at her ring and removed it placing it on the table.

"Don't do this," said Neal.

"It's done. You love Emma. You love the mother of your son, not me," she said not looking directly at Neal but at Emma who sat at the counter with a cup of hot cocoa as she waited.

Tamara had seen her come in but she said nothing to Neal. She knew the blonde had heard some of their conversation. It was hard not to hear other people's conversations in the small place.

Tamara only smiled as she looked at Neal. "Guess it must be fate."

Neal turned and saw Emma. She turned and met his gaze. "Emma," he said feeling guilty that he had been caught with something he shouldn't have.

Tamara stood. "Goodbye Neal." She walked over and stopped in front of Emma, "He's all yours," she said to her competition as she made her way out of the diner.

Emma sat frozen for a moment looking at Neal until reality sunk in. She had come to the diner to pick up some cherry pies for her family when she saw Neal and Tamara talking.

'There's nothing going on between me and her' she had heard Neal tell Tamara.

'Are you sure about that,' his fiancé had replied.

Emma had gone to the counter and tried to ignore the conversation but it was hard when Tamara kept raising her voice.

'It's done. You love Emma. You love the mother of your son, not me."

And now Tamara had given her some kind of ridiculous blessing and Emma continued to sit there looking at Neal and him at her.


Emma got up from her seat and headed toward the back. She didn't want to go out the front for fear of running into Tamara. After overhearing parts of the conversation she didn't want to face the other woman.

"Emma, wait," Neal called after her.

Ruby had come over with Emma's pies only to find her gone. Her wolf senses told her Emma had left through the back and she saw as Neal headed in that direction.

When Neal did find her she was in the lobby of the B&B, the same place they had been weeks before when Tamara first showed up and the place they usually spent some of their time.

"Emma would you just stop, please?"

Emma stopped and turned, "What!"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know you were there."

"It shouldn't have mattered if I was or not. I'm not the one you should be chasing after."

"I don't think it would change anything. She's still leaving."

"Then go after her. It's what you want. Leave Storybrooke, leave Maine, just make things right."

"I'm not leaving."

"You can't have it both ways Neal and from what I saw she's clearly making you chose."

"What about you, what about Henry," he asked.

"Trust me we'll be fine without you for a while."

"Damn it Emma don't."

"Don't what?"

"Don't try to push me away."

"You think that's what I'm doing? I'm just trying to get you to face up to not making another mistake."

"Please, Tamara is just an excuse! I thought we were trying to make things work."

"You should be making things work with her."

"You're deflecting again. This has nothing to do with Tamara. This has to do with you or more specifically what I did to you."

"Don't go there."

"We're all ready there. We have been for a couple weeks ever since your mom found August in the woods. You haven't been able to stand being around me or him and I know why. I'm sorry Emma, I'm sorry for the pain I caused you."

"I don't want to hear it."

"I don't care. I screwed up, I know that. I may have been running from my past, from my father but at the same time I risked all that so you could be reunited with your parents. I did that for you."

"And you expect me to say what 'thank you' well you can forget it. I can't. I spent eleven months in jail and ten years without you because you and August decided to screw me around. You're just like your father. You took advantage of what I was and didn't care about the pain you put me through. I was just a pawn to you just like I was to him."

"Come on, no you weren't. I loved you Emma. You above anyone should know what it's like to love someone and sacrifice that so they could have a better chance."

"Do not bring Henry into this!"

"I'm sorry I just meant-,"

"If it hadn't been for you two idiots Henry wouldn't have had to grow up without us. I can't forgive you for that and I can't trust you and I-,"


Before Emma could say anything more Neal took a lunge forward and placed his lips on hers. She could hate him all she wanted but that wouldn't stop the urge he had now. The urge he'd had since he first saw her in the alley in New York.

Emma tried to fight him off at first but the touch of Neal's skin against hers, the touch of his tongue in her mouth was enough to let her drop her defenses. Neal force himself harder shoving her against a near wall. Some wall hangings fell to the floor.

Emma's reasoning tried to kick into play, wanting to tell herself this was wrong and that it was a bad idea but her heart and her hormones were telling her what she had always known, that she had wanted this from the moment Neal had left. Tamar was out of the picture. She had left Neal. It was wrong to take advantage of Neal like this wrong of him to do the same but Emma didn't care. Each kiss he placed from her lips down to her shoulders was like a stimulating pulse being sent through each inch of her nervous system. She could feel her nipples harden beneath her blouse, could feel the bulge between Neal's legs beginning to pulse.

From the diner Ruby's senses had been alerted. It hadn't been the sounds of things dropping on the floor or even the conversation that could be heard all through the diner; thin walls and everything, but rather the pheromones that been released.

That was the one thing that bothered Ruby about being a wolf, knowing when two beings were in heat. It was amusing but at the same time it felt like such an invasion of privacy.

Ruby snickered.

"This might not be the best place," Emma said between her heavy breathing.

"Right," Neal replied.

The two of them continued making out. They laughed as they tried to make their way up the stairs and down the hall to Neal's room. Emma fumbled for the keys in Neal's jean pockets. She smiled at him with her back against the door as she clumsily twisted the key in the lock behind her. It clicked and Neal reached to open the door pushing her through the room and slamming the door with the back of his foot.

Neal reached for Emma's jacket and began taking it off, Emma doing her best to kick off her shoes. She then made her way to his green button down shirt and ripped them, the buttons scattering in all sorts of directions. So much for his shirt. Neal began to rapidly remove Emma's shirt over her head to reveal a blue laced bra. He kissed her chest and made his way down to where fabric met skin. Emma reached behind and with Neal's help unclasped it.

Neal kissed Emma, lifting her off her feet and began walking toward the bed. They then rapidly took off their jeans and underwear. Emma could feel that Neal was ready. He had been since they started downstairs. Neal's groin lingered along Emma's thighs. She wanted him inside her more than anything but she was complacent in letting the outside of her body feel him. His groin was erect and fluids began to seep making a mess down her legs. Fluids began to seep from Emma too, their watery substances mixing together along their skins and bed sheets.

Neal felt Emma's nipples harden as he wrapped his lips around them. Her eyes were closed as she allowed herself to be intoxicated by his touch.

Down below, Neal was his hardest yet. Emma relaxed to let him in. Neal was forceful but not in a way that would hurt her as he let his erect groin slide inside of her. The two had fit perfectly still almost as if no time had passed.

Emma thought back to that first night she shared with Neal in the motel room. It had only been ten minutes but that had been the best ten minutes of her adult life. It was nothing compared to this though. Both experiences were great in their own right; that time in her past being her first but this one was different. There was no set time limit as to when they had to leave. Emma felt as Neal's secretions oozed inside her sending her sensations into over drive. And Neal could feel his secretions along with hers.

Emma moaned as Neal thrust harder going as far into her as he could. A hand was placed over the headboard; another took hold of her right hand slightly over her head. His lips caressed hers. With her free hand, Emma ran her left hand through Neal's hair, down his arm, and over his chest.

It was clear that they had both wanted this. They had waited eleven years.

Emma had hated Neal. She hated what he had done, how he had ruined her life, how he had taken their future with him the day he left. Deep down though in a part she could never admit she had always held out hope that Neal would return to her and that despite whatever hate and anger she had she could get over. She didn't just lust for Neal, she loved him and she still did even now.

Neal had felt the same. He had waited ten years for her and even in the eleventh year when he was with Tamara he had deep down still waited. He had said 'I love you' to Tamara but he never meant it. The words sounded dry much in the same way a person said they were fine when asked if they were okay. He had held onto the dream catcher and held onto the keychain since Emma had placed it in front of him at the bar.

Tamara was out of the picture now. She was gone and Neal had no intention of following after her. Though logic said he should his heart told him what it had said for the past eleven years, that he belonged with Emma. He had always belonged to her. He wasn't just lusting after Emma in this moment he loved her. He wanted her not just physically. He wanted all of her, he wanted a place in her heart again, he wanted to be with her, he wanted a life with her.

Tamara had only been a band aid to his loneliness. She hadn't been the real thing, not like Emma. Tamara was right. He knew she always had been since she called him on the looks he and Emma shared.

Their ecstasy came to a climax. Neal's breathing continued to increase and Emma let out a loud wail as she had her orgasm.

And then it was over. Neal's groin had relaxed but remained inside her. He wasn't ready to leave. She didn't want him to either. Neal lowered himself, cautious of his weight as to not squash her and Emma placed his head on her chest. He stayed there, eyes closed, hers too, both of them breathing rapidly, trying but failing to calm themselves.