"Don't worry, Emma. The people like you," Belle said, tugging gently on Emma's arm. Emma sighed and let Belle drag her through the shade of the trees. She had asked Belle to come with her today to meet the people. Emma couldn't think of anyone more perfect for the job - Belle was so kind.

"VoilĂ !" Belle smiled, gesturing to the clearing in the trees. Past them, Emma saw a small village, full of people talking and working and hustling about. The village was considerably nice, with stone houses and paved pathways. The people were dressed in nice dresses - not as nice as Emma's, but still very expensive - and hunting gear. They were clean and appeared to be well-fed. This must be one of the nicer towns in the Kingdom.

"Oh, Belle!" somebody called, noticing the two standing at the edge of the trees. "What a lovely surprise."

The man, who was a short and plump, walked over to hug Belle. She smiled at him and squeezed him hard. "Emma, this is Cogsworth. He worked for my father a long time ago."

"Oh, this isn't the princess, is it?" Cogsworth exclaimed, his eyes wide. "Forgive me, Princess, for not having realized so before. It is an honor to meet you." He dipped into a deep bow.

"Thank you very much, but that's not necessary," Emma laughed, gesturing for him to rise. He did so with a smile on his face. Emma decided she liked this man. He seemed friendly enough. "Belle, do you know everybody in this village?"

"No," she laughed, though she was smiling a bit. "Though I do know a lot of them. Come, let me show you some of them. They all have marvelous stories," Belle said, dragging her along.


Six hours later, Emma flopped down onto her bed, exhausted. She had spent all afternoon with Belle and the villagers, listening to their stories, learning their names. It felt nice to know some of the people her parents were governing. They all had such unique histories. There was this girl, Anna, who had been turned into a dragon for years before the curse. A man named Marcus had left another kingdom in hopes of finding love - which he did. Joshua, a young boy, even talked about his encounter with Peter Pan, who had tried to lure him to Neverland. There were so many different stories, all so surprising and interesting, and, sometimes, horrifying.

Emma heard her fair share of stories about Regina that day. Many of the villagers had been victimized during her reign. Emma reassured each one that Regina was a better person now, to which the villagers simply nodded their heads at. Emma's heart sank for them.

"Em? You in there?" Neal called from outside, snapping Emma out of the memories.

"Yeah," she said, rolling over on the bed. Neal pulled the door open and stepped in, shrugging off his coat. He smiled at her and kissed her forehead gently before joining her on the bed.

"How was your day?"

"Tiring," Emma sighed, snuggling into him. He wrapped his arm around her. "But nice. There are so many people, Neal. They all have had such crazy pasts. It's unfathomable, really."

Neal laughed and looked down at Emma, his smile crooked. "You live in a world of magic now, Em. Nothing's unfathomable." She smiled at that.

"I brought you something," she said, sitting up so that she could look at him.

"Oh, yeah? It's not our anniversary, is it?"

"No," Emma rolled her eyes, shuffling through her drawer until she found it. She pulled out the dreamcatcher and handed it gingerly to Neal, who stared at it in awe.

"Where'd you get this?" he murmured, studying it in shock.

"This woman in the village - Katherine - makes them. She showed me how she did it, too," Emma explained. "I thought you might like it."

Neal smiled, though Emma could see the sad look in his eyes. The dreamcatcher was something from before all this happened - it was from when Neal didn't know who Emma really was. "Em . . ."

"It's fine," she said, sitting down beside him. She knew that Neal had only left her so that she could save her family. She was over it by now. Neal did what he had to do, and Emma understood. "I just thought we should keep one in our room. You know, for old times' sake."

Neal smiled and placed the dreamcatcher on the nightstand. He turned to Emma and placed a kiss on her lips, gently. She slid her hands around his neck and let him kiss her. His hands tightened on her waist and he pulled her onto his lap. Emma sucked in a deep breath as he trailed kisses down her neck. Neal smiled.

He rolled them over so that Emma was pressed under him, her hands working furiously at his shirt. One thing she hated about the Enchanted Forest - the clothes here were much harder to get off when in a rush. Neal helped her by untying the intricate knots of his vest and throwing it aside. Emma was grateful for her old tanktop she was still wearing - it was a lot easier to slip out of then a corseted dress.

"Bae," she breathed as he ran his hands down her arms, still kissing her neck. She rarely ever addressed him by his real name, but she knew Neal liked it. And Emma liked the sound of it coming form her lips, the way it sounded right.

She closed her eyes and fought the urge to take control. Neal moved back to her lips to silence her and Emma smiled. She moved her hands roughly against his bare chest, which was toned and warm and beautiful. She moved her lips to kiss it and heard Neal take a sharp breath. Emma laughed as the sound of someone knocking snatched her back into reality.

"Shit," she muttered, tugging her tank top back on, just as Henry waltzed into the room. "Hey, buddy," Emma said, a bit flustered. Her hair was a mess and she probably looked a bit flushed. Neal, being smart, had moved to the closet to look as if he was changing. After all, he was still shirtless.

"Hi, Mom," he said, unfazed by her appearance. Neal turned around and winked at Emma before greeting Henry. "I thought we could go to the beach before dinner?"

"Oh, sure," Emma said, touched by Henry's offer. Henry had been so busy lately with his swordfighting and exploration of the palace that Emma had barely seen him.

"Cool," he grinned. "I'll meet you downstairs!" He raced out of the room without the least bit suspicion, which caused Emma to smile.

"You okay with that?" Emma asked Neal, who had now put on a shirt.

"Yeah, go spend time with the kid. I think he misses you," Neal said. He kissed her quickly before she headed out.