Chapter 10: The Blame Game

[Present]

"Well that was a waste of time," Neal said as he and Emma exited Gold's shop.

Neal began walking and all Emma could do was stand by him as they walked close together like a couple. She hated that. She wanted to at least stand a few feet away but she couldn't even do that.

"I haven't needed his help for most of my life and now he thinks he can control it all of a sudden, what the hell is that?"

"You find an answer to that question you let me know," said Emma. "He's been taking advantage of me my whole life when it suits him."

"And how do does our life suit him now?"

"Because maybe he was right," said Emma. "I'm not just the sheriff in this town but I am their savior. What goes on in my life affects them all. I never wanted that responsibility but that's how it is."

"It's our lives, he shouldn't be interfering. What is he thinking that we can't work out our problems by ourselves? We're adults for crying out loud. This is just his way of finding a magical solution to everything. I hated it then and I hate it now."

"Yeah that part is obvious."

"Well can you blame me? You know what he is Emma."

"Yeah I do but regardless of who he is and what he's done, if it hadn't been for Gold I would still be trapped in the Enchanted Forest along with my mom and Henry would still be left without me. Same goes for David."

"And while I'm grateful for that Emma, Rumplestiltskin never does anything out of the goodness of his heart. I'm not sure he even has one anymore."

"You'd be surprised."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're new here. You haven't seen the way he is with Henry. I think the way he is with Henry- it's like he's trying to redeem himself, treating him the way he should've treated you."

"You can't be serious!"

"I'm just telling you what I've seen."

"Don't be fooled Emma. He's good at that. It's what he does."

Neal took a deep breath. "Look can we just stop talking about this and focus on fixing us?"

"Fine what do you suggest?"

"Start talking to me for one."

Emma crossed her arms. "I've got nothing to say."

"Please, it's your fault we're in this mess!"

"My fault?" Emma said trying to pull away.

The silver cord only yanked her back.

"How in the hell is this my fault," she asked.

"You've been hostile toward me since I got here."

"Then you shouldn't have come in the first place!"

"Are we really going to go in circles," Neal asked taking a couple steps toward Emma. "The fact is, you came and found me in New York. The fact is, I came and found you here in Storybrooke which I had planned on doing long before you even came back into my life. And if you would listen you would know why. And the fact is, you still hate me for what I did to you but if you knew the whole story then maybe you'd change whatever skewed perception it is you have of me."

"I don't want to talk Neal."

"Then I guess we're stuck this way because I'm not the one whose holding us here, you are. I've been trying to talk to you for a week but you won't even listen so I know it's not just me."

Emma looked at him. Her hatred was boiling but as she looked around she could see that they had gathered several on lookers.

"Look," Neal said calming himself. "This blame stuff is getting us nowhere. The only way we're gonna break free of this spell is if we work together. Then we can go back and salvage whatever lives we had that got interrupted before all of this. I may hate my father, I hate his magic and I hate that I got sucked into this but the one good thing that has come out of this is that it brought me to you. We haven't been this close in a while."

"Silver strings attached," Emma joked.

Neal laughed, "Despite that. Emma please, just talk to me. The sooner we work things out the sooner this madness can end."

Keeping her arms crossed Emma looked at him. Though she wanted to be free of Neal so that the spell could finally end, Emma wasn't sure she was ready. There was so much rage inside of her and she wasn't sure if it was fair to Neal for her to unleash it regardless if it had been his fault or not.

Her rage and hatred and her own perceptions had been all she had known for the past eleven years and when she was really honest with herself, Emma could admit that holding onto those was easier than whatever truth Neal could tell her. Without the search, without the anger, who was she?

It had been difficult for her to finally let go and accept who her parents were. It had taken a trip to a whole new world to where she and Mary Margaret could get to know each other not as friends but for the first time as mother and daughter for her to finally let go of the anger that she held toward her parents.

Looking at Neal and thinking to her parents, and to even Henry, Emma's mind began to calm some, not a whole lot but just enough for her to see things from a different angle. This whole time since the curse had been broken had become about new beginnings, it had become a time where Emma had to shift her view on reality.

If anything these past few months had taught her things were not always what they seemed. Could the same thing not be said for Neal? A week ago she had said as much, that nothing Neal could ever say could change anything but now, after seeing things with a different pair of eyes, maybe they could.

She had to give him the benefit of the doubt at least, at least if they were ever going to break this spell so they could go back to keeping their distance.

"Fine," Emma said.

"Fine?" he asked unsure as to what it was she was saying 'fine' to.

"Yeah, let's get this over with. The sooner the better right?"