Chapter Ten

"You're…" Neal said.

"Yeah…" Emma replied.

"So all that stuff you said…" he said.

"You'd been shot, and were about to fall through a portal," Emma said, "I thought you were going to die, so I told you what I thought you needed to hear…"

"It seemed pretty sincere to me." Neal said.

Emma didn't say anything.

"I don't think now is the time or the place…" Regina started to say.

"And you can shut up," Neal said, "this isn't about you."

"Technically," Emma said, "it is…"

"I love you Emma." Neal said, "We have a child together, I know you feel the same way."

"I care about you Neal," Emma said, "You're Henry's father, but… I'm sorry…"

"Sorry huh?" he said, "You should have thought about that before you said you loved me."

He walked away, heading upstairs.

"Ouch…" Emma said.

"You told him you loved him?" Snow asked.

"I thought he was going to die…" Emma said, "What would you have done in my position? Oh I'm sorry, I thought I loved you once, but I don't, so now you're going to die, and realise that the person you love doesn't love you back?"

"It may have been kinder." Snow said.

"No," Emma said, "it wouldn't…"

"He really does love you, you know…" Regina said.

"And I love you…" Emma said to her.

"This is going to cause problems." Snow said.

"Just one more to add to Emma Swan's list of mistakes…" Emma said, "And believe me, it's a long list…"

"He was a mistake?" Snow asked.

"No, how can I ever say anything that resulted in Henry is a mistake…" Emma said, "Telling him I loved him that was a mistake."

"We'll deal with it later," Regina said, "you're going to have to talk to him."

"Funny," Emma said, "I thought I just did…"

"Emma, he's just had his heart broken." Snow said.

"And you think that was easy for me?" Emma said.

"No, of course not…" Snow started to say.

"Good, because it wasn't…" Emma said, "I do still care about him, but I can't do something that isn't right… 11 years ago it was right, but now… I don't love him…"

"So…" Neal said, walking back downstairs, "when are we going to get Henry?"

"We're not…" Emma said, "You're staying here."

"He's my son Emma." Neal said.

"I know, but what good to him would you be dead," Emma said, "he already thought he lost you once, you come with us, and he will lose you."

"I can take care of myself." Neal said.

"Don't try and play the big man Neal," Emma said, "this is going to be dangerous…"

"It'll be dangerous for you too." Neal said, "you're going to let him grow up without his mother?"

"That's not going to happen," Emma said, "I have magic now…"

"Magic always comes with a price." Neal said, "you should know that better than anyone."

"The thing that has him is the Dark One," Emma said, "we destroyed the blade, but it somehow ended up being put back together…"

"I always thought you'd be the next one," he said looking at Regina, "you're the only person I've ever met who has a soul as dark as my fathers."

"That's not fair." Emma said.

"This… whatever it is Emma, it's not going to end well," he said, "she poisons every person in her life… she tried to destroy your mother…"

"She's changed," Emma said, "she isn't the person you think she is."

"She's the Evil Queen," Neal said, "that'll never change."

"You're out of line," Emma said, "a lot has happened since Storybrooke, a lot that changed us all…"

"So tell me…" Neal said.

"We don't have time," Emma said, "Henry needs us."

"That's right he does need us," Neal said, "We're his parents Emma."

"Enough." Emma said.

She was getting very angry, and the entire castle shook when she said the word enough.

"You might want to leave it alone Neal." Charming said, walking into the room.

"I'm not giving up," Neal said, "I'm not letting go of the woman I love."

"I don't love you…" Emma said.

"You did once, you can again," Neal said, walking over to Emma, "don't do this Emma, you'll regret it…"

"I don't love you Neal," Emma said, backing away from him, "and… this is going to hurt, and I'm so sorry… but I never did."

Emma left the room, leaving everyone standing there, wondering what just happened.

"I told you to leave it alone." Charming said.

Regina started to follow Emma.

"Regina, I'll go…" Charming said.

Regina nodded and Charming followed Emma from the room.

"You hurt her…" Neal said.

"And you'll what?" Regina asked, "Hunt me down and kill me?"

"Something like that." Neal said.

"I don't know what you think love is," Regina said, "but running away, leaving a woman you profess to love to go to prison for something that you did… that's not love, that's being a coward…"

Regina went upstairs.

"I'm not having that woman raise my son." Neal said.

"I don't think you have any say in the matter, do you." Snow said.

"He's my son…" Neal said.

"He's also Emma and Regina's son," Snow said, "whatever you do, do not fight them over Henry, you will lose, as your father knows all too well."

"I can't just walk away." Neal said.

"You might have to," Snow said, "not from Henry, but from Emma…"

"You're okay with this?" Neal asked, "I would've thought you of all people wouldn't be cheering their corner."

"I wasn't at first," Snow said, "but she makes Emma happy… happier than I've ever seen her… and to me, that means everything."

x-x-x-x

Charming found Emma at the top of one of the towers; she was looking out of the window.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Oh yeah," Emma said, "peachy…"

"I know how he feels Emma," he said, "your mom once told me that she didn't love me… and it was the hardest thing anyone had ever told me…"

"She told you that to save you," Emma said, "I told him that, because it's the truth… I shouldn't have told him I loved him in the first place, what was I thinking…"

"You thought he was going to die," he said, "that makes people say things they don't always mean."

"I didn't want to hurt him…" Emma said, "Once I did, a lot…"

"Sometimes we have no choice, sometimes we have to hurt people," Charming said, "it doesn't make it easy, we tend to hurt ourselves in the process, but… it happens, especially when it comes to matters of the heart."

"He'll get over it, right?" Emma asked.

"Yeah," he said, "he'll get over it…"

"Regina didn't…" Emma said.

"That was different." Charming said, "very different… Daniel died."

"Can I ask you something?" Emma asked, turning to look at him.

"Anything." He said.

"Do you think it's possible for someone to find true love twice?" Emma asked, "I mean, if what Regina felt for Daniel was true love, then…"

"There's no question how she feels about you Emma," Charming said, "she loves you; the breaking of the second part of the curse proves that…"

"Does it…?" Emma said, "What am I doing…"

"It's normal to question things," he said, "especially love, but there's no doubt in my mind that she loves you…"

"There's no doubt in my mind either," Regina said, walking up behind David, "nor in my heart… you complete me Emma."