I sat bunched up in Neal's arms for almost three hours, not saying anything, just letting his deep breath lull me away from the fact that we're going to be parents in nine months. The rain, bouncing off the gutters surrounding Neal's house, poured down, not stopping for anyone. In the three hours of rocking back and forth in my boyfriend's arms, I let a steady drip of tears inch their way from my eyes, almost like the rain. I was still cold from running to Neal's house earlier, a dog-bark like cough showing how the freezing, wet weather was getting to me.
"We should probably get you home." Neal whispered into my ear as my eyes were about to flutter close out of exhaustion. "Your parents are probably flipping out." I groaned as he got up, my body still laying limply in his arms. He walked over to his bedroom door, undid the lock, and carried me downstairs. On his way out, Belle looked up from the couch with a curious expression, and Neal bent lower to show that I was asleep in his arms. She gave a quick nod and shooed Neal away, back into the bone-chilling rain.
As the car pulled down the street away from Mr. Gold's house, I opened my eyes reluctantly, the bumps from the road waking me up. I let out another cough and sneezed into my elbow, Neal cringing as he drove. "Where are we?" I mumbled, after my coughing fit was over.
"In my car. I'm bringing you home since you look pretty beat." Neal replied with a smile, glancing over at me as I played with the ragged ends of my sweatshirt. "Like a sea hag... times ten." He added, laughing.
I rolled my eyes but couldn't help the smile that was brewing on my face. "Can I ask you something, Neal?" I grew serious, my tone affirmative, making his laughing stop and his smile crease into a frown.
"Anything," He replied, turning to me as we pulled the car in front of the apartment.
"How are we gonna raise this... this kid when we're supposed to be in college?" I questioned, staring straight ahead, my eyes clouding with worry. "I want our child to have it's best chance, but I want us to get an education-,"
Neal used his finger to turn my chin towards his, our eyes locking in place, not blinking. "If you want to raise the kid -our kid- we'll take a few years outta school. It'll just be me and you, as parents, doing a hell of a good job teaching our child right from wrong. Whatever you wanna do, Em, I'm going to be next to you, supporting you, not letting you go through everything alone." I nodded, still not taking my eyes away from his. He was silent, the gears in his brain turning, thinking. "Maybe we should get our own place. I think- I think it's time, don't you?"
"You mean, together?" I wondered, incredulously.
He wrinkled his eyebrows together, "You wanna?"
"Like where? Neverland?" I asked, throwing up my arms and coming closer to Neal's face.
Neal paused and exclaimed, "I'm serious. We can do this!"
I sighed and tore my eyes away from his. "Where?"
He patted my arm and grabbed my backpack, searching through it quickly, his hands finally laying upon my history textbook. Neal flipped to the back of the book and held up a map of the United States. "I'll tell you where," He mused, while I snorted. "Close your eyes and point; whatever spot you pick, that's our home." I did as he said and closed my eyes, smiling under my breath, while my finger rested upon a small red dot.
When I opened my eyes, I found the spot I picked. "Tallahassee?"
"Tallahassee," He breathed, looking at the city I placed my finger upon. Neal met my gaze and smiled.
"Is it near a beach?" I asked, my smiled broadening.
Neal laughed and said, "Yes, it's Florida, everything's near a beach!" I wrapped my arms around his neck and paused, staring into his eyes again.
"Tallahassee it is," I stated, leaning into him.
He smiled, his eyes crinkling, as he confirmed, "Tallahassee it is!"
Neal and I locked our eyes, mine green, his brown. "Are you sure? I mean, is this what you really want?" I questioned slowly.
"What I really want is you." Neal responded, leaving no room for me to protest. Those six words sparked so much love in me, love I thought I'd never find. He wanted me, not some other girl, me. He closed his eyes and leaned in, our lips touching each others. I brought my hand up to his upper neck, digging my fingers through his hair while he grabbed my back, our kiss bringing electricity and chills down my spine.
I entered my apartment fifteen minutes later, coughing and clearing my throat of flem. I never thought a simple rain storm, me running in it, and the freezing cold weather would trigger a cough that sounded like a dying dog or my throat to be hoarse. As I grew accustomed to the dark living room of the apartment, the lights switched on, making me blink over and over again.
There she stood, with her arms crossed and an expression that told me I was dead. "Where have you been?" Mary Margaret asked quickly, walking over to me and observing my damp clothes.
"At Neal's," I replied, trying to nudge my way out of the tiny corner I was trapped in. "I had to tell him... that I was pregnant." Mary Margaret stopped, raised her gaze towards me and opened her mouth wide enough to kill any bugs zooming by in our apartment.
"So, you are pregnant?" She confirmed, stepping back.
I let out a cough and shivered, "Yeah." My mother's expression softened, like when Belle's angelic voice calmed Mr. Gold down and eased his old features. "But Neal and I are okay with it. We're going to raise the kid and be parents." I said confidently.
"Wow... I never thought I'd hear you convinced and happy about this." Mary Margaret replied, a twinkle in her eye.
Shrugging, I backed up towards the staircase. "Well, I am. And, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have homework to do and water in my shoes." I turned to go up the stairs when I heard Mary Margaret say something I would have loved to record.
"I'm proud of you, Emma." Before I could turn around, Mary Margaret strolled out of the room, leaving me shocked on the bottom of the staircase.
Some of the dialogue, as you probably have figured out, was said by Emma and Neal in episode 6 of season two (Tallahassee). I love the writers; they make everything sound so romantic.