A/n: You all are so sweet with your reviews! I'm so glad you're enjoying this! I have the next few chapters planned out so you don't have to worry about this story going anywhere anytime soon. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this one, it's a lot longer than I planned it to be.
The first half hour into the road trip was excruciatingly awkward. Emma didn't have a particular interest to engage in conversation with Neal and Neal didn't even bother to try. Which wasn't exactly like Neal from what Emma remembered, whenever they did have little squabbles back then he was always the one to try to mend it. And of course, it'd always work because he'd flash his puppy dog brown eyes and pout and tell her he loved her and she was young so she gave in. But they were both older now and though Neal had given her a similar look, they both knew it was not like it had been in the past.
Instead Neal turned his head to look out the window, tapping his fingers against his legs in time to the music she had quickly switched on to avoid complete silence. While she tried to keep her eyes focused on the road but every once in a while she found her eyes slipping to the right, quickly taking a look at him. Whether he didn't notice these looks or just ignored them she didn't know but she was grateful he never looked back.
Eventually, Neal let out a sigh and shifted in his seat, turning to look at her and she pressed her lips together knowing that he was about to start talking.
"So," he started with the conventional icebreaker, "What are doing these days, Emma?"
Her face dropped and she gave him a sideways look that read: are - you - kidding - me?
"I mean in Storybrooke, you've been there for about a year right? What does one do in a cursed town?" '
A small smirk found its way to Emma's lips as she remembered what exactly she did in Storybrooke. "I'm the sheriff."
Neal blinked for a moment and then his eyes widened slightly. "The sheriff? You are the sheriff?" He snorted. "How did you land in that position?"
She let out a breath. "Well, for the first few weeks I had nothing to do, I wasn't even thinking about a job but the sheriff at the time, he took me under his wing, took me as his deputy." She paused for a long moment, a frown etching onto her face. "When he had a sudden heart attack I was the one to take his place."
Neal frowned slightly. "I'm sorry."
Her brow furrowed as she stole a quick glance to him. "For what?"
"About the sheriff, you seemed really fond of him."
Emma swallowed, keeping her eyes focused on the road. "He was a good man." She cleared her throat, shaking off all thoughts of Graham. "It hasn't been easy, the job, but I like it a lot more than I thought I would. Besides, now my..." She paused, still not used to the title, "..my father is my deputy."
Neal lifted his brow. "Your father?"
Emma nodded. "Did August not tell you that part?"
"No, he did...I just wasn't expecting it." Neal answered. "What are they like, your parents?"
A small smile played on Emma's lips. "They're exactly what you would expect of Snow White and prince Charming. Brave, loyal, friendly, perfect." She scoffed lightly. "My mother she's...she's my best friend. Before the curse broke, before I believed in all of that, she was my roommate and really my only friend in that town. It's been a little weird adjusting to the fact that she's actually my mother but we're so alike in a lot of ways its almost hard not to believe anymore. Especially after our little trip." She rolled her eyes slightly not even having to bother to look at Neal, knowing his face held a question. "We were pulled back to that land."
Neal frowned, his brow creasing. "You were there?"
Emma nodded. "At least what was left of it. The curse destroyed mostly all of it but somehow this little stretch of land was saved and along with it some people."
"What happened? Why did you go back?"
Emma pulled a face. "It wasn't voluntary. Gold unleashed this creature on Storybrooke and somehow we managed enough magic to open a small portal back to that land to send it back but it latched onto me and pulled me in with it and my mother followed me through."
Neal was silent as he processed the words, his lips pressed in a deep frown. "When you say Gold...?"
Emma glanced at him quickly, knowing that they were headed towards a touchy subject for Neal. "Rumplestiltskin."
Neal's jaw tightened. "Why do you call him Gold?"
"That was his name in Storybrooke."
Neal's brow twitched in confusion and Emma elaborated further. "Part of the curse was to not remember your real identity so everyone in Storybrooke had a fake name and a dual identity. Rumplestiltskin was Mr. Gold and he owned the town."
Neal narrowed his eyes. "And what did he do? Attacked the town with this creature? What kind of creature?"
Emma bit down on her lip softly, she could practically hear the rage in Neal's voice. "It was some soul sucking creature, like a dementor from Harry Potter?" She looked to Neal to see if he understood the reference and he nodded once. "But he didn't exactly send it to attack the town, it was just after one person and in the search for that one person it nearly destroyed the town."
"Who did he want to kill?" He ground out.
She sighed. "The mayor of the town, the evil queen Regina?" She looked at him and he blinked, the name not registering. "Well, Regina and Gold sort of have a rivalry, a battle for control over the town. Gold just tried to do away with Regina once and for all. It backfired, mainly because he forgot about my family and how though Regina practically ruined everyone's life with this curse we would not let her die. We fought this thing off and thats when Snow and I got pulled through to that land."
"How did you get back? Going to and from that land isn't easy."
Emma rolled her eyes slightly and scoffed. "It was one hell of a journey, I'll tell you that. Ogres and giants and beanstalks..."
"Beanstalks?" He cut her off. "You found another bean?"
Her brow furrowed as she turned to look at him. "What do you mean another bean?"
Neal sighed heavily. "It's how I got to this world."
"The magic bean?" Emma asked, surprised.
Neal nodded. "Yeah. The fairy that gave it to me said it was the last one."
"Well she was right about that, there were no more beans but there was this magic compass and combined with the ashes of some magical wardrobe...that created a portal that brought us home." Emma explained.
Neal pursed his lips thoughtfully but remained silent. Emma figured he was getting lost in a world of memories, distant and almost forgotten memories that had been forced back into his mind.
She wouldn't deny that she was curious about Neal's past and how he got to this world and why he hated his father so much. But she didn't know if she'd be overstepping her boundaries if she did ask.
Well, they had hours to go and this topic of conversation seemed to keep them talking without brining up the subject of their own past.
"Neal...?" She asked hesitantly and she could swear she saw his body tense as if he knew what she was about to say. She waited until he fully acknowledged her by turning to look at her before continuing.
"What happened?" She made sure that her voice held no hostility or bitterness and was more sympathetic and curious. "Between you and your father?"
Neal groaned quietly, rolling his eyes slightly as he bowed his head and rubbed his temples. "It's a long story." He muttered.
"Well its a long way to Maine." She replied.
Neal sighed and thudded his head back against the seat. He was silent for a long minute, just staring up at the roof of the car, his jaw tight as he slowly shook his head back and forth. Then he swallowed and began to speak.
"He wasn't always so...evil." Neal began and Emma frowned at how lost he sounded. "He was a good man, the village coward but a good man."
Somehow Emma couldn't imagine Rumplestiltskin being a good man. But as Neal said it was a long story.
"It was just him and me, you know? My mother was gone, he told me she died but I don't know the actual truth of what happened to her. So he raised me on his own but he was the best father, he always saw to it that I was protected and taken care of." He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "It was three days before my fourteenth birthday when it all started to go downhill. You see, at fourteen all children were required to fight in the ogre wars."
Emma's eyes widened. She had faced an ogre first hand and it was only because of her mother that she survived it, she couldn't imagine a fourteen year old kid, someone not that much older than Henry fighting them. "Fourteen?" She whispered in horror.
"Yeah." He smiled weakly. "Things were a lot different there." He cleared his throat. "My father was opposed to it too. He had fought in the wars and he was hurt so he fled. The village hated him for that. When it came time for me to go he fled again, this time with me."
He continued to explain the story from the old beggar his father had told him about, to the attack on the duke's castle, to how he killed the dark one and acquired his magic.
"He wasn't that bad at the start. He saved me from going to the ogre wars and he rescued and brought home the rest of the children that were already there but..." He bit his lip softly and shook his head. "The dark magic slowly began to consume him. He did anything and everything for the sake of protecting me, killing just because someone decided to look at me the wrong way." He swallowed. "Everyone was terrified of him and what he would do to them if he saw them with me, so everyone avoided me too."
Emma's brow creased and she frowned heavily, casting a quick look over at Neal. She didn't know what she was expecting out of Neal's story but it certainly wasn't that.
"I couldn't live like that anymore being afraid of my own father, losing him more and more each day. So he made me a deal, if I could find someway to get rid of the dark one without killing him, he would do it. That's when I found the blue fairy and she gave me the magic bean, telling me that it would take me to a land without magic, and without magic there could be no dark one. I brought the bean back to my father and he agreed to go." Neal looked down at his lap, his fingers twitching, his jaw tightening and his voice cracking just slightly as he continued. "Only when I opened the portal and grabbed his hand he changed his mind. He couldn't leave but I was already falling and...he let me go." He sucked in a breath. "I landed here alone."
Emma's fingers twitched against the steering wheel and she chewed on her bottom lip softly. Upon starting this journey and after finding out who exactly would be coming home with her she told herself that she would not give into him, no matter what sob story he told her. And part of that still rang true, she still held a bitterness when it came to their personal past and August or no, she was still angry with him for leaving her. But this was different, this was a part of Neal that deeply wounded him and had really nothing to do with them. After hearing the whole story she could now understand why Neal hated his father so much, why Gold seemed so guilty about losing his son. And Emma felt that twinge of sympathy that she no doubt inherited from her kind and forgiving parents.
She swallowed thickly and putting aside her pride for a brief time, slid her right hand off the steering wheel and across the way to find his. Her hand slid into his and she tried to ignore the warmth that shot up her arm and the fluttering of her heart. Their fingers laced together and she gave his hand a slight squeeze, slowly looking over to him.
He lifted his head, surprise clearly written on his face but he said nothing, his lips only twitching in a small but grateful smile. He squeezed her hand in return and gently brushed his thumb across the back of her hand.
Her body tensed at the affectionate gesture but somehow she couldn't find herself able to pull away. Neal needed comfort more than she needed space and despite her better judgement she'd give him that, if only for a little while.
Eventually, when the road became too dark and curvy to navigate single handedly, she pulled her hand out of his and returned it to the steering wheel. Neal thankfully didn't make a protest, only pressed his hands together in the center of his lap to make up for the lack of contact.
The car became silent again after that but it was significantly less awkward. The air was temporarily settled between them in lieu of Neal's heartbreaking past and they both got lost in their thoughts.
Emma occasionally snuck a look over to Neal and though the sun had long since set, and darkness loomed over the car, in the dim moonlight she swore she could see the sparkling of unshed tears in his eyes.
It was a little after ten PM when Emma could feel her eyes drooping. It had been a very long day, most of which contained driving and no amount of coffee could keep her awake for much longer.
She saw a sign advertising a motel and pulled off at that exit, driving along the dark streets until she found it. It was a small place in the middle of nowhere but it was nothing they weren't used to. She pulled into the small parking lot in front of the building and shut off the car, then turning to look at Neal.
At some point he had fallen asleep, curling his arm against the window and using his bicep as a pillow. He didn't stir, even when she stopped the car and shut the engine, but he was always a heavy sleeper.
Watching him sleep, she felt something tug at her heart strings. The memories of days past when they couldn't find a motel to sneak into and crashed in this very same car. Though they usually curled up together in the backseat, using each other's body for heat and comfort.
And looking at his face, relaxed and almost childlike in sleep, she saw Henry. The resemblance was almost uncanny and there was no doubt in her mind that he was Henry's father.
The unwanted emotions she had been feeling started to rise up in her again and she pushed them back quickly, trying to remind herself that she was only with Neal to bring him back to Storybrooke for his father. But even that caused an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach, after all he had told her about their history, how could she force him into that?
Then she reminded herself that it was Neal's decision to come and pushed back all guilty thoughts.
She reached over and gently shoved his shoulder. "Neal, wake up!"
Neal's face contorted and he let out a sleepy moan before opening his eyes, blinking as he looked around. "Are we there?" She could hear the slight undertone of fear in his voice.
She shook her head. "No, we're at a motel. I'm tired and I don't trust you to drive." She explained at his inquisitive look. Then she took the keys out of the ignition and hopped out of the car, stretching her arms over her head.
A few long seconds later, Neal sleepily shuffled out of the car, yawning before rubbing his hand over his face.
"Come on." She motioned her head toward the office and then walked in that direction, Neal silently following behind her.
She approached the man behind the desk. "We'd like a room."
The man took a look at them both, a young couple on a road trip and smirked. "One bed or two?"
Emma frowned. "Two."
The man lifted his brow but silently turned to his computer, clicking on the keyboard for a moment and then looking back up to them. "How many nights?"
"Just one." Emma answered and he nodded, returning to his computer.
She glanced sideways to Neal who had appeared at her side and was digging through his jacket pockets, his brow creased.
"What are you doing?" She asked him in exasperation.
"Looking for my wallet." He replied before pulling it out and opening it up, his fingers finding a credit card.
Emma shot out her hand to stop him. "Don't even think about it."
Neal glanced up at her, furrowing his brow. "What?"
Emma shot him a slight glare. "You're not paying for me, Neal." She took his wallet from him and closed it, placing it back down in front of him.
"Emma-" He started to protest but she had already taken out her own wallet and handed her card to the man.
The man continued to smirk at them, his brow raising at the quarreling young couple and slid her card through the machine. It beeped and he frowned, trying it again. It beeped again and he shrugged as he handed the card back to Emma. "It won't go through."
Emma scowled. "What?"
He shrugged helplessly and Neal cast her a knowing look. "Is all your money in Storybrooke?"
"Yes..."
Neal pressed his lips together and opened his wallet, handing the man his own credit card before turning to Emma. "Cursed town." He whispered.
Emma groaned and rolled her eyes, shoving her card back into the wallet and shoving the wallet back into her pocket. "You've got to be kidding."
"Magic works in strange ways." Neal shrugged, taking back his card.
Emma sighed and snatched the key out of the smirking man's hand.
"Room twelve." He instructed and pointed out the window. "Just down there."
"Thanks." Emma muttered tensely and shot Neal a look before walking out. Neal silently smiled to himself and followed after her.
After retrieving their bags from the trunk of the bug they went to their room. Emma opened the door and took a look at the inside. It wasn't unlike rooms they had been in before, two beds, a single nightstand between them, a dresser on the far wall and a small door leading to bathroom.
Emma tossed her luggage on the bed closest to the window and avoided Neal's gaze. Being with him again in a motel room was a memory she did not wish to revisit.
She dug out her cell phone and with a soft sigh, reluctantly turned to look at Neal, pointing outside. "I'll be right outside."
Neal was already seated on the bed and spotted the phone in her hand. "Are you going to call him?" Emma raised her brow and he elaborated. "Henry."
She shot him a look. "It's 10:30 at night, Neal. He's ten years old."
Neal lifted his hands innocently. "Alright, sorry. I'm not exactly used to kids."
She resisted an eye roll, she didn't want to discuss parenting with Neal, at least not yet. "I'm calling Mary Margaret." She didn't know why she was telling him that, it wasn't any of his business who she was calling.
He raised one eyebrow and she sighed. "My mother."
His lips formed a little "o" and without another word she turned and left the room, making sure the door was closed behind her.
She tightened her jacket around her torso, the cool night air stinging her just a bit. Then she took a seat on a near by bench and dialed her mother's number.
The phone rang twice before it clicked and Snow's frantic voice called over the receiver, "Emma?"
Emma scoffed lightly. "Waiting by the phone, were you?"
Snow sighed in relief and Emma could practically hear the sheepish smile on her face. "I was worried."
"I'm fine." Emma reassured her, a soft smile playing on her lips. She still wasn't used to having a mother, none the less one that cared about her.
"So how's it going? Where are you?" Snow asked.
"We're actually on our way back to Storybrooke."
"We?" Snow gasped. "So you found him?"
"Yeah." Emma sighed lightly. "He was in New York."
"New York." Snow echoed thoughtfully. "Huh...so, you're on your way back? Where are you now?"
"We're at some motel in the middle of nowhere, to be honest I'm not even sure what state we're in."
"A motel?" There was no doubt a frown on Snow's lips, her disapproving motherly tone was clear as day. "With a stranger? With Rumplestiltskin's son?"
Emma bit down on her lip softly. "He's not exactly a stranger."
"What?"
Emma sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "If I tell you something, can you promise to keep it between you and me? Just for now at least."
"Of course." The concern in her voice was evident.
"I know him...from a long time ago. We were...very close."
"How close?"
Emma hesitated, kicking her boot lightly against the wood below her feet. "He's Henry's father."
"What?" Snow gasped. "Henry's father? I thought you said he was long gone."
"Well I never expected to see him again and I certainly had no idea he was Gold's son." Emma answered.
"Henry's father is Gold's son..." Snow muttered, as if trying to process the information.
"You can't tell him, Henry I mean." She swallowed slightly. "I'll tell him when I get there."
"I won't tell him." Snow promised. "But Emma, are you sure you're alright? The way you talked about him..."
Emma smiled slightly. "I know the way I talked about him and I'm still not sure how I feel about him. I still kind of want to punch him," She laughed softly, "but we've talked and, like always it seems to be recently, things aren't the way I thought they were." She sighed quietly and leaned back against the bench. "He told me his story, how he got to this world from that one and what happened between him and Gold." She rubbed her arms lightly. "There's so much more to him than I ever realized and I just don't know what to think anymore."
"Give it time, Emma." Snow said.
Emma let out a scoff. "Patience has never really been on of my strong suits."
Snow let out a soft laugh. "Don't worry, everything will work out the way it should."
Emma nodded quietly, then realized she was on the phone and quickly sighed, "Yeah." She was suddenly cut off by a yawn and realized how exhausted she really was. "Well look I have to get some sleep, I'll be back in town tomorrow."
"Alright, goodnight Emma." Snow wished sweetly and Emma couldn't help the small smile that crossed her lips.
"Goodnight."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone but Emma could still hear her mother's light breathing and knew there was something else coming. What came through the speaker next though nearly knocked her off the bench.
"I love you." Snow's voice was soft and weak as she took this daring step with her daughter.
Emma's breath caught in her chest at the words. She knew her mother loved her, the last couple of months that the curse was broken have more than proved that but it was the first time she ever said it aloud.
There were only two people in the entire world that Emma had ever said those words to. One was in the motel room just a several feet away and the other was the product of that past love, sleeping a hundred miles away, waiting for her return.
Emma slowly let out a breath, unsure of what to say but knowing she had to say something. Finally she swallowed past the lump in her throat and mumbled, "Me too."
She knew it's not what her mother wanted to hear but it was all Emma felt comfortable giving at that moment and she cursed herself for it.
"Goodnight, Emma." Snow whispered again and then hung up. Emma shut the phone and sighed heavily, burying her head in her hands. After a minute or so, she ran her hands over her face and stood up, heading back to the room.
When she walked in, the sight before her just slightly warmed her heart. Neal was curled up on his bed, his face buried in the pillow and fast asleep. Unconsciously a smile found its way to her lips. Despite every part of her brain protesting, she knew she couldn't stay mad at him when he looked like that. Come tomorrow though, when he was awake, that all would change.
Feeling exhaustion ache every part of her body, she slid her bag off the bed and climbed onto it, not bothering to change out of her clothes. She closed her eyes for a moment as she buried her head in the pillow, feeling her body already start to relax.
Her eyes fluttered open as she stole one last look at Neal, feeling an inexplainable ache in her chest and then she pushed it aside, turned her head to face away from him and closed her eyes and within minutes she was fast asleep.