Chapter 7: The Heart Knows Better

"Again?" asked Mr. Gold, as soon as his neighbor came out of his shack, shoulders drooping in defeat.

"I'm... I'm sorry, I don't know what's going on, I can't... I can't control it." He looked positively distraught as he spoke, running his hands through his hair. "As soon as I fall asleep, she just... she just takes over."

"Well, I'd say she made quite an impression on you."

He was pacing up and down, trying to figure out why she looked so familiar, why those dreams felt so real... when all of a sudden his eyes landed on the corner where their improvised Christmas tree should be standing.

"Do you know when she's leaving?" asked Mr. Gold.

"What?"

"She will leave, eventually, won't she? You said she's from New York."

"Yeah..."

He took a few steps forward, frowning as he saw a tiny pine tree where the dried branches and other pieces of rubbish used to be. Next to it, there was an envelope, which he was quick to open.

'Didn't mean to stalk you, but the kid really didn't want to let go. He wanted to see where you lived so... Yeah. I drove until you got... home?'

His eyes darted around as he stopped reading for a moment. She had been there. She had seen the piteous shack where he lived and oh boy... that had been exactly what he had tried to avoid.

'Anyway, just thought you could do with something more Christmasy in your front yard. Call it, 'shared custody'.'

He touched the card softly right where she had drawn a smiling face.

'Merry Christmas - Emma & Henry. And thanks for the tour, it was fun to have you around.

PS: Nice pendant, by the way.'

He looked at the tiny Christmas tree again, and at the swan pendant resting on the top of it. He was glad she had been considerate enough to transfer it from the previous 'tree' to that one - that pendant, for some reason, was the most precious thing he had, and it would break his heart if, for some reason, it had gotten lost.

"Have you packed everything, Henry?"

"Yup."

"You sure? We're not gonna be back anytime soon, so make sure you double check."

She looked out of the window as the boy kneeled on the floor and looked under his bed for the fifth time that morning.

"Nope," he said, getting to his feet. "I packed everything."

"Good."

She ran her hands through his hair, wondering where that dull ache in her chest was coming from. She was not supposed to have grown attached to that place. After all, she had only been there for two days, and it was not as if that town had that many attractions anyway...

Except for him.

He had made that place special. Whether it was by giving them a Christmas tree, or by joining them at lunch, or by breaking into her dreams at night...

If only she could see him one last time.

A knock on the door broke her reverie.

"Did you order room service?" she asked her son.

"No. Did you?"

She frowned as she slowly walked towards the door.

"Who is it?" she asked, staring at the ground as she touched the door.

"Room service!"

"We didn't order room service."

Silence.

"Uh... It's me, Killian. Killian Jones."

It took her a moment to match that name to the man that went by it. If there was one thing she was good at, it was names, and that name, for some reason, didn't match him at all.

When she opened the door, she wished she could have held back her smile. As it was, she felt he would obviously notice how pleased she was to see him again.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey."

"Did you... did you read my card?"

"I did," he replied, taking off his beanie and holding it timidly in front of him. "Thanks for the 'shared custody'".

"Well... It's only fair, since... we're leaving."

"Already?"

There was such sadness in his expression that she had to swallow a lump in her throat.

"Yeah..."

"Mom, we're gonna be late for br-oh hi, Mr. Jones!"

She saw him smile when Henry showed up by her side, and she realized that since they first met in that tree lot, his smile would always make her heart skip a beat.

"Hey, Henry, why don't you go ahead and get us a table at the diner," she said. "I'll be with you in a minute, okay?"

"Okay."

"Oh, Henry, wait."

The boy turned on his heels when the man behind him reached for his shoulder.

"I-I brought you a gift."

"A gift?" she whispered, looking at the small package he was holding. "You didn't have to."

"It's no biggie," he answered with another smile, as he fumbled nervously with the package. "It's just... something I thought he should have."

"Oh..."

The three of them watched as the boy pulled a small dreamcatcher from inside the brown paper wrap.

"What is this?" asked Henry.

"It's a Native American dreamcatcher," he replied. "It's supposed to keep all the nightmares out, and only let the good dreams in."

Henry's eyes seemed to glow as he heard the explanation.

"I.. I think I used to have a bigger one, but... I don't know where he is," he raised his eyes to Emma, looking apologetic. "But I hope it will help you sleep better, buddy," he added, patting Henry on the shoulder.

"Sleep better?" Emma looked confused. "Why, have you been... having trouble sleeping, kid?"

"Kind of..." the boy replied, staring at his own shoes.

"Yesterday... while you were checking the engine of your car, Henry and I talked for a while," he explained. "He told me he'd been having nightmares."

"Nightmares?" she whispered. "What kind of nightmares?"

"I... I sometimes dream I'm ripping my heart out of my chest."

What?" Emma's voice was low and sad when she spoke.

What a horrible thing for anyone to dream of. To see the fear in her son's eyes made it all even worse.

"Henry, why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't want you to worry..."

"Oh, Henry..."

She pulled the boy into a tight embrace, rubbing his back as she tried to comfort him.

"I'll be okay," he said, as he took a step back and smiled. "Thanks for the dreamcatcher, Mr. Jones!"

"You're welcome, kid."

"Mom, I'll be waiting for you at the diner, okay?"

"Okay..."

She watched as the boy took a turn at the end of the hallway and left the two adults behind him on their own.

"Hey..." By her side, the man that had been visiting her in her dreams took a step closer, with a tiny box in his hands. "I brought you something as well."

"You didn't-"

"... have to. I know."

They both chuckled quietly as she opened the box.

"But I wanted to. I mean, you said you found it nice..."

When the gift came into view, she was positive she had never been given anything that valuable. No diamond rings or expensive jewelry would ever make her heart beat that fast. And yet, pressed between her fingers, nothing could look more modest and unimportant to a passerby: a mere swan pendant, made up of cheap material, hanging from a plain silver chain.

"You like it?" he asked, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he wetted his lips.

"I feel like I know you..." she whispered, still staring at the pendant.

"Me? Or the pendant?"

"Both..."

When she raised her eyes to his, she couldn't actually figure out whether he was pleased or saddened by those words.

"Maybe we do..." he replied, blinking slowly. "From another life."

She smiled sadly, the dull ache in her chest growing more intense as she stared into his hazel eyes.

"I just wanted to say that I had a great time," he whispered. "I know we didn't get to spend much time together, but... I enjoyed every single minute of it."

"Does that include the part where I hit you in the head with a log?"

"It does. Don't tell anyone, but I... I like women with a strong personality."

"Even if she hits you."

"Especially when she hits me."

Something in his voice made her shudder lightly - and in a very pleasant way, although he didn't seem to have noticed it.

"Oh," he muttered, looking mortified. "Now that sounded weird."

"No it didn't, I... I'm okay with that."

"Should I worry?"

She licked her bottom lip with a raised eyebrow, before clearing her throat with a much more comfortable smile.

They had only known each other for two days, and yet, he made her feel totally at ease when he was around.

"Oh, look at us, talking about kinks..." she said, looking away as she rocked back and forth oh her heels.

"Heh... Oh, speaking of kinks, before you go, there's something I've been meaning to tell you."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Uh..." It was his turn to look uncomfortable, fidgeting with his beanie. "Since the day we met, I have... I've been having these very strange-"

"... dreams?"

She was not sure she should do that.

Probably, she shouldn't.

But she did it anyway: when he took a step forward, staring at her lips in a way that made his intentions far too clear, she covered the few inches separating them and surrendered to a kiss she had been meaning to give him after the first time she saw him.

And then, she felt her whole body had been swept by a wave of electricity and heat as she pulled him closer, hands resting on his shoulders as the kiss deepened.

When they parted and she opened her eyes, she felt a tear run down her cheek.

"Neal," she whispered, looking at his puzzled face as she took a step backwards.

"Emma!"

In the seconds in which their lips had been together, she saw an entire lifetime of loss flash before her eyes. Stealing a car, meeting the father of her child, being arrested, giving birth in jail, giving her son away, then coming to Storybrooke and meeting her parents, then finding Neal again and losing him again as he went through a portal, then saying goodbye to the mother and father she had just met...

She felt more tears run down her face as all the pain from so many forgotten memories rushed back to her mind.

"Emma?"

She sobbed, staring at the ground while she tried to find her voice.

"Emma, you did it," he whispered, holding her head in his hands. "You broke the curse. You did it."

"Dad!"

"Henry!"

Next to her, she could see the two of them hugging, and her heart broke even more.

She had given her son away. All the memories of his childhood... His first words, his first steps, his first day at school, his first scraped kneecap… The memories of their life together before Storybrooke and all the madness... They had never really happened.

She hadn't been around for him.

"Mom?"

When the boy grabbed her hand, she saw a shadow of sadness in his eyes, despite the happiness of being reunited with his father.

Of course, now he remembered too.

"I'm sorry..." she said, pulling him into a hug as she cried. "I'm so sorry, Henry."

"It's okay."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

She kissed the kid's forehead after a heartfelt sob, and tried to smile despite all the feelings clashing inside her chest.

"Henry... can you give me a minute?" she said, nose blocked as she wiped her tears away.

"Sure," he replied. "I'll be waiting for you guys outside."

"Neal... You too. I need to be alone."

She saw him nod, and then rub her shoulder with an understanding smile.

"Okay."

"Bae!"

As soon as he stepped out of the diner, a familiar voice made his head turn.

"Bae! Son!"

"Papa!"

It didn't take long for him to spot a man with matted hair, wearing a collection of mismatched rags and a dirty trench coat, trying to make his way through the crowd gathering in front of Granny's.

"My boy..." said Rumplestiltskin, when the two of them hugged. "Oh thank Goodness."

"She did it, Papa... Emma, she broke the curse."

"Good..."

He felt his father was now holding him even tighter, and when he looked at him, there was an obvious glow of pride and affection in the older man's eyes.

"I now can go back to a better-dressed version of myself," said Rumplestiltskin, with a snicker.

"At least Pan let you keep your Storybrooke name!" Neal replied, laughing heartily as he touched his father's face. "He was not that kind to me!"

"Oh well, what can I say... My father always had a bizarre sense of humor."

They hugged again, and as they did, Neal's eyes caught Snow and Charming looking at him expectantly.

"Hey..." he said, slowly pulling away from the hug to walk towards them.

"Neal!" said Snow, barely managing to hide her anxiety. "Where is Emma?"

"She said she needed some time."

"But can we see her?" asked Charming.

"I'll go inside ad tell her you're here, okay?" Neal replied. "Gimme a moment."

He inhaled deeply as he prepared to walk into the diner. He walked past Regina and Henry hugging each other, and after winking at the boy, he made his way to Emma's room.

"May I come in?" he asked, after knocking on the door.

However, there was no response. His heart started racing as ominous thoughts filled his mind, so he knocked on the door again, much harder than the first time.

"Emma? Are you there?"

"Yes."

"May I come in?"

"Yeah..."

He opened the door slowly, and saw her sitting on an armchair by the window, holding up her knees as her reddish, puffy eyes rested lazily upon some point on the road down below.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, pulling a chair to sit by her side.

"Fine."

"Do you remember who your parents are?

"Yeah. I remember... everything."

"They're waiting for you outside."

"I know. I can see them. I'll be there soon."

Her voice was quiet and slow, just as distant as her gaze.

"How did this happen?" she asked, finally turning to look at him.

"What part, exactly?"

"How did Henry and I... how did we end up here, of all places?" she continued, chin trembling as she spoke. "And how... how did I fall in love with you again?"

He let out a sigh, the unlikelihood of it all finally sinking in. She was living in New York. Then, by some twist of fate, she and Henry were headed to Augusta for Christmas, but ended up in Storybrooke instead. And, one morning, he had simply woken up feeling an inexplicable urge to buy a Christmas tree.

"How is this even possible?" she whispered.

"I don't know..." he said, reaching for her hand to give it a gentle squeeze. "I don't know how any of this happened, but... I'm glad you're here."

He took her hand to his lips, and kissed it before covering it with his other hand.

"Yeah," she said, a little smile getting the best out of her before she could hold it back. "Me too."

The two of them were walking down the hallway when Neal threw her a sideways glance - the kind that always got her into trouble.

"Now, about those dreams..." he started.

"You mean, memories."

"Exactly. See... Maybe we should thank the bug."

She stopped walking, and looked at him with a frown.

"I mean... It was... like... a very important part of the dreams..."

"Memories."

"Yeah."

She started walking again, although her head was still tilted to the side and she had to bite back the urge to laugh. 'Thank the bug'. Years later, and that man still thought she wouldn't know when he was talking about sex? Or yet, about having sex in the bug?

"So," he continued, after raising his eyebrows and trying to look casual as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Maybe we could show it our appreciation?"

"And how are you planning to do that?"

He grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop and turn around.

"Why don't I tell you over drinks?" he asked, with an expression that looked awfully familiar.

Her shoulders shook as she laughed in silence, staring at the ground before raising her eyes to his face. No matter how much she tried to stay away from that man... Her heart knew better. They would find a way back to each other, against all odds.

And she was grateful for that.

"We'll see..." she whispered, before picking up her pace with a peaceful smile on her face.