To Have and To Hold

Chapter Seven: Planning and Waiting: In Which Merlin Becomes a Teacher, Henry Accidently Blows Something Up, and Morgana and Zelena Are Up To No Good

"What exactly are these potions supposed to do?" Zelena asked as she held up a vial of a liquid that was a very interesting shade of yellow. "And shouldn't we have attacked by now? It has been a week. Emrys has most likely found her already."

Morgana merely smiled as she bottled up the light pink potion she had just finished brewing. Potion making wasn't exactly her area of expertise but she was willing to make an exception this one time. "Patience is a virtue, you know," she replied calmly. "We'll attack when the time is right."

Zelena huffed. "And when will that be?" she asked with a pout.

Morgana paused in thought for a moment. "At least a month and a half to two months."

"What?!" Zelena shouted. "Why so long?!"

Morgana smirked. "You want to break Emma Swan before we kill her, correct?" Her smirk grew cruel as Zelena nodded. "Then follow every instruction I am about to give you and the Savior will be completely crushed by the time we finish her," she finished as she hand Zelena the light pink potion and began to carefully lay out her instructions. By the end of it, Zelena was smiling with some much glee, one would have thought Christmas had come early.

EMMASWAN!

Emma threw her hands in the air in frustration. Two weeks. Two long fucking weeks she had been at this. It shouldn't be that hard, she told herself. It will come easy, she said. It really wasn't as easy as she had originally thought.

A glare graced her face as she stared down the man facing her. Merlin flinched, knowing exactly the frustration she felt when a spell wasn't working. She folded her arms and tapped her foot impatiently, her eyebrow raised and mouth set in a thin line.

"You're trying too hard," Merlin commented and just barely contained another flinch as Emma's glare intensified.

"I thought you said I could learn this," she said firmly.

"I did and you can," Merlin replied patiently. "You just need to calm down. You've worked yourself up too much."

"That sounds like a great idea," Neal said from his spot on the sidelines. "She'll just calm down, drop her guard, and give Morgana and/or Zelena the perfect opportunity to attack." He started clapping. "Wonderful idea, Your Grace," he said sardonically, his voice oozing with frustration.

Merlin felt his temper flare. There were very few people in his world—and this one—that set Merlin on edge. Unfortunately, Neal Cassidy, A.K.A. the Dark One, was one of those few people. Merlin knew it was the Darkness that made the man constantly sarcastic and shrewd to him. From what he had heard from the other people of the town, Neal was an all-around decent guy with a big heart and an even bigger sense of humor. Unfortunately, that description wasn't something that Merlin had experienced. Ever since the day at the hospital, Neal had done nothing but criticize Merlin, ridiculing him for everything that he couldn't do or he didn't know. Merlin really didn't want to get mad at the man, he really didn't. He was pretty sure, almost certain in fact, that if it wasn't for the Darkness, he and Neal would have gotten along great.

Emma simple gave Neal a look and he grimaced in response when he realized what he had said. He sighed heavily, leaning his head back against the park bench as he slide down.

Emma turned back to Merlin. "Sorry. He's trying, really," she said, looking back at her son's father.

"It's ok," Merlin replied. "I know it's the Darkness making him say things and act the way he is."

Emma sighed. The lessons would probably have better results if Merlin was able to show her just how the magic worked. But, due to her own selfishness, she didn't want Neal out of her sight. That enabled Merlin from being able to show her Old Religion magic. If she were honest with herself, however, she would have to say she felt relieved that Neal was constantly in her sights. More often than not these past couple of weeks, Emma had woken up from a nightmare, scrambling to find Neal because she keep dreaming he had died back in the forest or Morgana had murdered him for disobeying her orders.

Emma shuddered, hating herself for thinking about her night terrors at a time like this. Usually, when she woke from the night terrors, she would run downstairs, desperately searching for Neal. More times than not, he was laying on the couch, messing with something he refused to let her see. As the Dark One, Neal didn't have to sleep and would just sit wake at night, messing around with whatever he could get his hands on. One time, she even caught him making dreamcatchers, something that had brought tears to her eyes.

She shuddered again, remembering the few times she had ran downstairs, only to find the couch empty and Neal nowhere to be found. It was usually in those moments that Emma thought the last few weeks had been a dream; that she had simple fabricated Neal's return and that Zelena would appear out of nowhere, wielding a Dark One Rumpelstiltskin in tow. Neal would usually find her in her bed in tears, silently crying because she was too ashamed to cry any louder. The only good things about those nights was that Henry was at Regina's and Neal would hold her until she fell to sleep, him gently rubbing her back and whispering softly in her ear.

"Maybe that's enough for today," Merlin said, taking in the setting sun and the tired expression on Emma's face.

"Can I try?" Henry asked, bouncing so much in his seat that he had his Dad laughing.

Merlin smiled at his enthusiasm. He shrugged. "Why not."

Henry ran from his seat, leaving his still-laughing father behind him, who was quickly joined by his mother.

"Do I need to go through the steps again?" Merlin asked with a smile, knowing how intently Henry had been watching the two practice the past two weeks.

Henry shook his head. He had basically become a sponge, soaking up as much knowledge as he could.

Merlin nodded. "Do you remember the spell for fire?"

Neal frowned. "Isn't that a bit dangerous? I don't think he should be playing with fire."

Merlin waved him off. "It won't hurt anything. He doesn't have enough of a magic level at the moment to be able to do any damage."

Neal raised an eyebrow. "Famous last words," he commented sarcastically, only to get hit in the shoulder by Emma.

Merlin pointedly ignored the Dark One. "Do you remember the spell for fire?" he repeated.

Henry nodded excitedly. He stretched his hand out, his palm facing the open sky. Emma watched him intently, not wanting him to be upset if the spell didn't work. Neal look interested and a little on edge. Henry's parents heard him whisper the command for fire, both waiting on bated breath to see what would happen. After a moment, Henry's face fell after see that the spell wasn't doing anything. Merlin stepped closer.

"It's ok," he said patiently. "I didn't get a lot of spells on my first try."

Henry pouted before his face took on a determined look. He whispered the fire spell with a little more force. The bystanders watch quietly. Merlin sighed and took another step closer, only to have the spell Henry channeled blow up in his face.

Emma jumped up and ran to the pair while Neal slide off the bench laughing his ass off. Emma rolled her eyes at him as she took in the excited but completely unharmed Henry and a soot-covered Merlin, who looked rather impressed for someone who had just gotten a spell blown up in his face.

"That was so cool!" Henry said excitedly before running over to his dad and talking animatedly.

Emma laughed. "I think you really made his day."

Merlin grinned as he wiped his face off with his sleeve. "He has a lot of potential. And he's a child. He's bound to catch on quickly to magic. I'm just glad he can practice it freely here."

Emma simple nodded, a small smile on her face as she watched her son and his dad. Neal had an arm slung across Henry's shoulder, a wide grin on his face and Henry began to recant the small event with big hand gestures and mini explosion noises.

"I'll see you later then," Merlin said after he had gotten all of the soot off his face.

Emma gave him a wave and walked over to stand next to her boys. Neal was wiping tears of mirth from his eyes as Henry grinned from ear to ear. "Ready to go get some food?" Emma asked as she crossed her arms. "I heard Granny is having a sale on cheeseburgers."

"What, buy one, get one for $.05 off?" Neal asked cheekily.

"No," Emma countered. "She'd being generous." Neal raised an eyebrow. "She's giving $.10 off."

Neal snorted, a grin still on his face. "Cheeky woman," he tease.

"You love me anyways," Emma replied automatically, not really thinking about what she was saying.

Neal's face turned soft for a moment. "Always have, always will," he replied honestly.

Emma bit her lip. She had unintentionally brought up a subject that the two had been avoiding for the past couple of weeks. His death was still fresh in her mind and she really didn't want to go through that heart-ache again. Henry had been the only thing that had kept her going for those seven days afterwards. If she hadn't had him, she would have been hell-bent on catching Zelena, probably to the point of almost getting herself killed.

"Sorry," Neal apologized quietly.

"It's ok," Emma replied honestly. "You're just being honest with me. I kind of walked myself through that door," she smiled slightly.

Neal returned it.

"So," Henry said, watching his parents with his own grin. "Granny's?"

Emma laughed and put an arm around the twelve-year-old's shoulder. "Let's go, kiddo."

Henry grinned as his dad wrapped his arm around Emma's shoulder as they walked. His grin nearly split his face in half as Emma rested her head on his shoulder instead of pulling away like he thought she would. This day couldn't get any better in his opinion.

NEALCASSIDY/BAELFIRE!

"That was fun," Neal commented as Emma collapsed onto the bed.

Emma giggled. "Tell me about it. I don't think I have ever seen someone bicker as much as the two of them. You would think Arthur would have Merlin thrown in jail for some of the things he said."

Neal grinned. "I think I heard Arthur mentioning something about the stocks and rotten vegetables after a while."

Emma laughed even harder.

While the trio had been eating at Granny's (the burgers were actually buy one, get one half off-surprise!), Arthur, Merlin, Gwen, and Gaius had arrived at the diner to get something to eat before they headed back to the house Rumpelstiltskin had rented out to them. The payment was Merlin giving Gold all of the information he knew on the Dark One in written form. Rumpelstiltskin had taken it upon himself to try and find a way to rid his son of the Darkness that had plagued their lives for too long.

Of course, Arthur and Merlin did nothing but bicker back and forth while they ate, giving Emma, Henry, and Neal a good show to watch. Ruby had brought over their usual drinks, saying that another customer, who wished to remain anonymous, had bought them. Emma rolled her eyes, knowing it was probably Neal's dad, seeing as he and Belle were on a date at the same time (Belle had given them a cheery wave). Whoever it was had even gotten Emma a special sundae, seeing as her birthday had been the day before as well as making sure her hot chocolate had extra whipped cream and cinnamon. She had happily dug into the sundae, ignoring Neal's teasing at her not eating right. That had somehow lead to Merlin making fat jokes about Arthur, leading to more laughter and slight chaos.

"You sure your parents won't mind us setting up at Granny's for a while?" Neal asked as he threw his jacket across the back of the desk chair.

"No," Emma replied as she kicked off her boots. "They probably want to spend some time at home with my new little brother. Besides, I would rather not have to listen to a baby crying in the middle of the night. I love my brother but I need my sleep."

"Speaking of which," Neal said. "What is his name? I haven't heard them say."

Emma rolled her eyes. "They're keeping it a secret, even from me. They want to wait until the party in a few days to announce it."

"Royals," Neal snorted with a teasing grin. "They just can't do things like us regular folks, can they?"

Emma laughed. The pair fell into a comfortable silence. Emma would randomly giggle occasionally, thinking of a certain memory from the dinner. Neal would just simple watch her, grinning all the while. Eventually, his smile began to slip, giving way to a nostalgic expression that Emma caught immediately.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly.

Neal flinched, not wanting her to see him like that. He sighed heavily. "It's nothing."

"Nope," she said as she stood, walking to stand in front of him. "You don't get to just blow me off like that. What's wrong, Neal?"

Neal was quiet for a moment. "I think we need to talk."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You're not breaking up with me, are you?"

Neal snorted. "We're not even together," he whispered sadly.

Emma bite her lip, unknowingly hitting the subject on the head. She gently took his hands, pulling them until he followed her. She sat back down on the bed, facing him, his hands still in hers.

Emma drew in a deep breath. "What do you want to talk about?"

"Us," Neal replied honestly. "What our next move is?" He sighed again. "I don't want to make you feel like I'm pressuring you but…"

Emma frowned, reaching up and letting her hand rest gently on his cheek. "What is it?"

Neal bit his lip. "I know it's stupid," he said, running a hand nervously through his hair. "Never mind," he said suddenly, getting up and walking towards the door.

"Neal," Emma said as she grabbed his hand, making him stop. "I want to know what's bothering you." She paused for a moment. "Is it the Darkness again?" she whispered quietly.

His flinch was all she needed to see to know she was right. She gently led him back to the bed. She sat down sat down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. He sighed and let his head fall, his nose buried in her hair, inhaling the scent of her lavender and vanilla shampoo.

"What is the Darkness telling you?" Emma asked quietly, remembering the times she had walked in on Neal angrily talking to himself. He had been embarrassed, of course, when he realized she had walked in on him arguing with the Darkness. Instead of leaving like he expected her, Emma had grabbed his hand and led him out of the room, using Henry as a distraction as the trio ended up walking along the beach.

"It's stupid," Neal muttered.

"No," Emma insisted. "It's not. Your dad said the Darkness used to feed on his own worries and doubts and amplified them to make him angry. I am pretty sure it's doing the same thing with you."

Neal exhaled heavily through his nose, causing Emma to laugh as it tickled her head. Neal's lips tugged into a grin despite his best efforts to keep a straight expression. Emma looked up at him, her green eyes shining bright.

"What is the Darkness telling you? Because, whatever it is, I am completely sure that it is wrong."

Neal rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure it's right."

Emma slapped him hard on the shoulder, her face set in determination to prove him wrong. She simple raised an eyebrow, waiting.

Neal sighed softly this time. "It keeps telling me that we," he gestured between the two of them, "will never go back to being what we were," he finished softly, doubt and worry clear in his tone.

Emma sat there for a moment, watching Neal with clear eyes. She surprised him when she suddenly shifted, knocking him back onto the bed and straddled his waist, her hands lacing with his above his head. "And why can't we?"

Neal blinked in surprise, still in shock of the position they were in. "Emma-"

"Nope," she said, leaning down, pressing her chest to his, their noses just barely touching. "The Darkness doesn't get to decide. We do."

Neal looked her dead in the eyes, searching for something there. Emma stared right back, her gaze never wavering. Neal must have found what he was looking for after a moment. Emma felt all of the tension leave his body as he smile gently at her.

"Is this," he sighed, "what you really want?"

Emma smiled. "What I really want is you," she said, pressing her lips to Neal's in a soft, gentle way. Neal gladly responded by deepening the kiss.

THELADYMORGANA!

Morgana smirked as she watched the couple that was displayed on the crystal she had in her hand. She waved her hand, dissolving the image of Emma and Neal, her smirk turning rather cruel in nature as she turned to Zelena. The Wicked Witch had a look of disgust on her face, having watched the two kissing. She was more than glad when Morgana dispelled the image before she could have seen anything else. True Love always made her so sick.

"It's all going according to plan," Morgana practically sang.

"Are you sure it will work?" Zelena asked, doubt heavy in her voice.

Morgana raised an eyebrow. "Are you questioning me?"

Zelena paled a little. "Of course not," she said quickly, holding her hands out in front of her. "I was just merely…" She trailed off before she could dig her hole deeper.

Morgana rolled her eyes. "It will work. My potions have never failed before."

"Isn't Emrys still alive?" Zelena countered.

Morgana shook her head. "I've never used a potion on Emrys. It would be too risky."

"But you can use one on her?" Zelena asked, thinking about the so called Savior that always made her want to barf.

Morgana rolled her eyes again, sighing at Zelena's impatience. "Emrys can sense if there is a potion that has been added to his food. That is only because he had been using that magic since he was born. Emma, on the other hand, had only discovered the true origins of her magic recently. She isn't trained enough to be able to sense a potion of that caliber."

"Is that why you put it in her drink?" Zelena asked. "And how did you even know she would get that one and not her son?"

Morgana raised an eyebrow. "'Know your enemy'," she quoted. "Emma Swan's birthday was recently. As a 'birthday gift', an anonymous person bought her a drink." Morgana waved her off. "The only thing that matters is that it worked."

"What now?" Zelena pouted, hating that she was being spoken to as if she were merely a child.

Morgana leaned back in her chair. "We plan. Next order of business," she said as she conjured an image of a young boy that spun slowly over the top of her palm, "find the Dark One's dagger." She quickly closed her fist, crushing the image as she smiled. She absolutely loved it when a plan came together.

RUMPELSTILTSKIN(add necessary hand flourish)

Emma woke up with a start as her phone began to ring suddenly. Beside her, Neal groaned, rolling over on to his side and covering his head with a pillow.

"I am going to kill your phone," he said groggily.

Emma just shook her head. She slowly got up from the bed and grabbed her phone that was sitting on the desk across the room.

She cleared her throat. "Hello?" she answered, her voice still thick from sleep.

"Hey, Mom!" Henry answered from the other end.

"Hey Henry," Emma smiled as she leaned her lower back against the cool surface of the desk. "What's up?" she asked, yawning.

"Gramps, Grams, and I are going to go to Granny's to catch some breakfast," Henry replied animatedly. "Can you meet us downstairs in about thirty minutes?"

Emma raised an eyebrow, not really sure how her son knew she was at Granny's B&B. She didn't comment, however, as a smile tugged at her lips. She looked up and caught Neal's eyes, who had finally decided to roll out from under the pillow and was now watching her with interest.

"Sure, kid. Will be there in a few minutes," she replied as Neal raised an eyebrow. The two exchanged goodbyes and love before Emma put her phone back on the desk. "Henry wants us to meet him for breakfast."

Neal just nodded and continued to stare at Emma, his hands behind his head and a shit-eating grin on his face.

Emma blinked. "What?"

"Nothing," Neal replied, his grin getting even wider. "Just enjoying the view."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Perv."

"Tease," Neal countered. "Come back to bed," he whined.

"Nope," Emma replied, grabbing her bra that was laying on the floor. "If we get started again, we won't be able to meet Henry for breakfast. Now, where is the rest of my clothes?"

Neal grinned before simple pointing up.

Emma looked up and groaned. "How the hell did my underwear end up on the ceiling fan?"

Neal just laughed in response.