Chapter 10: A Second Chance

Emma smiled at Henry, "Ready to see your dad again kid?" Henry smiled at Emma. "Okay," she said to him, "Take my hand."

Henry did so and Emma closed her eyes to focus. Gold had told her that no magic could bring Neal back only true love. For a long time Emma had always believed that the two were the same thing. After the past several days though, she had come to see that they were not. Magic could not touch the anti-freeze potion but only a certain true love could. It was like a mathematical equation along the lines of 'B' is a branch of 'A' but 'A' is not 'B'. Emma had a hard time understanding those kind of equations but she did understand magic and true love and in this case, true love was a branch of magic but not magic directly. It was entirely different.

Emma thought about Neal. She allowed herself to go back to the life she had eleven years ago when they first met. To say that Neal had freaked her out and surprised her at first had been an understatement. For a quick moment after Neal had told her she "could've just asked for the keys", Emma had feared for her life. It wasn't the first time she had done so but it had been the most recent so it had caught her off guard. When realizing he wasn't out to kill her, her next thought was that he was just some low life who had managed to get a young girl in his car as a trap and just wanted to do her. Another thing she had been used to but again she had been wrong about him. He was just a guy trying to get off the grid. At the time though she hadn't realized just how far off he was trying to go.

She thought of the feelings she started to develop for Neal. They had been like-minded souls, both people with an unknown past or in Neal's case a past he had wanted to remain unknown but still, like her he was a person without a family and without a real home. In a short amount of time Emma had come to feel something more, something deeper.

Emma had thought she'd known love before with previous boyfriends but she never felt the way Neal made her feel. He gave her hope, he made her smile, and more importantly he made her feel like she mattered which had been something she'd never experience before. Her parents had given her up and after spending her first three years with a family, they too gave her up and she became just another number in the endless array of kids in the system.

In the background of her thoughts she could hear Henry's voice, "It's working," he said. "The lights are getting stronger."

Emma didn't need to open her eyes to know it was. She could feel the jolts in her heart, could feel the electric pulses.

Henry watched in amazement as the necklace and dream catcher talismans began to glow. Very slowly they were getting brighter. He watched his mom cautiously, her eyes still closed.

"Emma," said Neal.

Henry's eyes widened, "Dad!"

Neal looked over to his son, "Henry!"

Neal was still flashing but it was lasting longer than before and in a second Neal was gone.

Emma pushed her thoughts deeper to the afternoon she spent with Neal in the motel room. She had lost her virginity when she was sixteen but this time it actually mattered. She was in love, real love, not the kind of love you told yourself just to make you believe you could actually feel it for someone, not the kind of love you told yourself to make you feel better and less alone.

She truly wanted him. She didn't just want to feel the experience of sex as that had been her reason the first time. And knowing that Neal wanted her the same way only made the experience greater, so great that she had conceived a child.

There was no denying it now, she and Neal had meant to be together and Henry had been a part of that destiny. And if that weren't true they wouldn't have met in New York. Both times had been more than mere coincidence. If they hadn't been meant for each other Emma would not have been able to see Neal in his ghostly form, would not have been able to kiss him, make love to him even though that had been slightly unconventional.

Emma was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't hear her son. It started to come more into focus as a mumbled jumbled when she heard the worry in his voice.

"Gramps!" Henry continued to call out, "Help!"

"Henry!" David said as he and Mary Margaret came into the apartment having quickly raced downstairs the first time their grandson called.

They saw Henry sitting on the floor. From their angle they couldn't see what had happened.

Henry looked up with fear in his eyes. "She just collapsed," he said to them, "I can't wake her up."

Mary Margaret and David came over the side of the table to see two bodies lying almost lifeless on the ground. One of them was their daughter.

They looked at the other which was a partial.

"Neal," Mary Margaret said sounding confused. "What happened," she asked Henry.

"Mom found a way to get dad back," he answered, "but I think it's killing her."

Mary Margaret helped Henry up and held him close pulling him back. David took Henry's place.

He shook his daughter. "Emma," he said, "Emma you have to wake up."

Henry watched for a quick moment and then he buried his face in his grandmother's chest, closing his eyes. Mary Margaret hugged him tighter.

"This has to stop Emma," said David.

Inside Emma's state of mind memories continued to flood past but some had become separate. On one half of the circle memories of her life flowed freely and on the other were Neal's memories. She and Neal stood in the center. Neal was only half transparent now.

"It's working," Emma said unaware that her family could hear every word she spoke.

From the outside they could see that Neal was partially formed. From the waist down he was human but they still could not see the upper portion or his face.

Memories of Henry started to fill in Emma's half. Neal smiled but that quickly faded.

"I'm so sorry," said Neal.

"I know you are."

"I wanted us, I wanted our family."

"We are a family," said Emma.

"What's going on in there," Henry asked.

David shook his head, "I don't know kid."

"But not like we could've been," Neal said to her. "Emma, had I known I never would have left, I never would have-," Neal couldn't bring himself to say it.

Emma shook her head, "You know I've gone over it a dozen times." Henry released himself slightly from Mary Margaret to hear his mother speak despite the state she was in. "Would it have mattered if I hadn't gotten caught and we could raise him together? Would it have mattered if I had kept him and raised him alone? What would his name have been had I decided to keep him? But then I think about how my life turned out and I start to wonder all over again. Maybe had Henry not been a part of us, a part of me, I never would have found my parents. You once told me that maybe we met for a reason." She thought about the rest of his words, "that maybe something good came from us being together."

"I remember," said Neal.

"I'm sorry I lied," she said, "At the time I just couldn't admit it to you. I didn't want to."

"But," Neal said with a smile.

Emma smiled back, "but there were two things. I had never loved anyone before I met you and I haven't since. I tried for so long to let go of that but I couldn't. That's why I kept the keychain I think there was still a part of me that didn't want to let go, that held onto some inkling of hope because that's what you gave me, you gave me hope for a better life, a life I never really had before. For years I was always just a number, just another kid taking up space. You were the only one who made me feel like I mattered."

"Guess we're a like in that regard," said Neal.

"How so?"

"Why else do you think I kept the dream catcher? I couldn't let go either. I tried but I never really wanted to. Guess I always hung onto that hope too. What was your second reason?"

"Our son," she said with a smile. "I may not have been ready to be a mom to him at the time but had it not been for Henry or what you did I never would have broken the curse and I never would have found my mom and dad."

"He's getting better," Henry said looking at his father.

Neal's body was now up to his chest and working its way to his neck.

Neal smiled, "So you're not mad at me anymore?"

Emma frowned. "I've wanted to be and I think it's still going to take time for me to forgive you for what you did but at least now I know that I can and I'd rather work on that with you than without you."

Neal motioned to some of Emma's memories which were of her time spent in jail while pregnant. Emma hadn't wanted to show those memories but it was like they were film strips and there was no one at the controls to stop them.

"You look beautiful."

"Please I do not," Emma answered.

"No you do I just wish I could've been there."

"So do I."

Neal paused at the next memory which was of an eighteen year old Emma holding baby Henry.

"He's amazing," said Neal.

Emma smiled at the memory, "Yeah, he is."

For years it had been one memory she had tried to suppress but the more time she spent with Henry and then deciding she was going to be a part of his life and really try and become his mom it had become a cherished memory.

Emma looked at one of Neal's memories.

"Neverland," she asked.

Neal smiled, "You have no idea how right you were eleven years ago."

"And here I thought I was just making a joke."

Emma saw some of the memories and she stopped at one of them. There was a young boy in green leather but it wasn't so much Peter Pan that Emma was interested in but one of the younger boys in a line of seven or eight. Emma had seen him several times in Neal's passing memories.

"You were one of the Lost Boys," Emma stated.

"In over three hundred years I've been a lot of things," said Neal.

Emma shook her head, "Yeah you see that's still weird for me."

"Not for me. We met for a reason Emma, and not just because of our son."

The memories changed and a lot of memories replayed that had Emma in them including his most recent memories.

"None of those other lives ever really mattered until I met you. I'd never had anyone to share my wandering existence with. I'd been running for so long and wanted to continue running but then you stole my stolen car and I knew I never wanted anything more. I was done running and even if I wasn't I had wanted it to be with you."

Emma looked at Neal with tears in her eyes. Before she could react Neal began to quickly fade.

"What's going on," Emma asked.

Neal only smiled.

"Neal?" she called out.

"Dad," said Henry.

"Emma," David called out, "Emma it's okay you can wake up now."

"Neal?"

"He's right here," said David.

Emma's eyes began to move and then slowly opened. David helped her to a sitting position very gently.

Henry quickly released his grandmother and ran into Emma's arms.

"It's okay Henry," she said to her son, "I'm okay."

"Emma," Neal said his voice sounding a little hoarse.

"Welcome back," said David.

Emma looked at her father, "You can really see him?"

David smiled and Mary Margaret nodded.

"Emma," Neal said again.

"I'm here," she said.

Henry got off his mother and slowly the five of them began to stand up, Mary Margaret helping with Neal. The three of them gave Emma and Neal some much needed space.

The two of them walked toward each other and closed the gap.

"Hi," Neal said with that smile that always made Emma's heart flutter he said as he cupped Emma's face in his hands.

"Hi," she said back.

"That was interesting," he said.

"Just shut up," Emma said as she leaned up to reach his lips.

It was simple but passionate. They could hear Henry snickering and her parents clearing their throats.

Neal pulled back, "God I've missed that," he said to her. Emma nodded. "Thank you."

"Just don't ever do that again," she said to him. "I can't risk losing you, not ever."

"Promise," he said.

"And promise you're never gonna leave again."

"I all ready left you once. I won't be making that mistake again regardless of who or what tries to keep us apart."

Emma smiled, "That's all I needed to hear."

"So you're okay now," Henry asked.

Neal and Emma both turned to smile at Henry. Emma reached out her hand for him. The boy came up to his parents, both of them hugging him tightly.

"I missed you buddy," said Neal.

"I missed you too."

The trio released each other. "Hey," said Neal, "I think this calls for a night of hot cocoa to celebrate."

"With cinnamon," Henry, Emma, and Mary Margaret all said at the same time.

Neal let out a small laugh, "Would you have it any other way?" he said to all three of them. He then spoke directly to Emma, "At least now I know where you got it from." He turned back to Henry, "What do you say buddy, why don't you help me get started?"

Neal smiled at Emma as he and Henry made their way to the kitchen. Emma watched as her boys went over to do their thing, placing her hands in her back pockets and taking a deep breath. She turned and walked toward her parents.

"Just exactly how much of that did you hear?"

"When you were unconscious," David asked, "everything."

Emma brought a hand to her brow, "Great. We'll I guess we're even when it comes to the most embarrassing moments." She looked up at her parents with sincerity in her eyes. "Thank you for trusting me, for believing me. You had every reason not to but you did it anyways."

"You're welcome," said David.

"So you really didn't love anyone before Neal," Mary Margaret asked.

"I never had a reason to," said Emma. "The way I grew up…for a long time I just thought love was some kind of delusion people made up to make themselves feel better. I never felt it until I met him and I hadn't since other than the love I have for you guys and Henry but they're completely separate."

"And he makes you happy?" asked Mary Margaret.

"Yeah he does," Emma said with a smile.

Mary Margaret smiled back.

David took a deep breath, "So I guess it's safe to ascertain he's permanently a part of the family now?"

"You just heard me confess my undying love for him," Emma teased, "I think at this point yeah he is."

Mary Margaret looked at David and then at Emma, "So what do we do now, living arrangement wise? It's not like all five of us can live in the same apartment forever or you and Henry move in her with Neal."

Emma smiled, "I've actually got a few ideas about that assuming it's okay if we're all still under the same roof."

Before David or Mary Margaret could ask Emma what she meant, Henry and Neal came over with cups of hot cocoa in hand. Henry handed the two cups he was holding to his grandparents and then Neal handed one of the three he was holding to Henry and then Emma.

"Thanks hun," Emma said reaching up to kiss him.

Neal smiled, "So what are you guys talking about?"

Though it was late no one was ready to call it a night so the five of them made their way over to the kitchen table and began talking.

[FADE OUT]

[END]