Emma woke up a little later that evening and smiled over at a sleeping Neal. Pleased for once to see him sleeping peacefully rather than haunted by, Emma sighed knowing she had to accept it, his father Rumpelstiltskin. Though, Emma grimaced, accepting was not believing. She shook the negative thoughts out her head and began to move out of the bed only to remember that all her clothes besides the ones she and Neal had discarded earlier were in the car. Glancing back at him, Emma grabbed her underwear and jeans just as the front door bell rang. Emma glanced around in panic – where was her shirt? The doorbell rang again and Emma grabbed Neal's shirt from the floor. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too obvious.
Emma ran towards the door – gratefully for the mirror at the top of the stairs to quickly check the state of herself.
Taking a deep breath, Emma swung the door open to find a woman behind it. Emma almost smirked at how stereotypical this woman looked with her dark hair piled onto of her young face and a Tupperware container in hands. At least she didn't have a basket, Emma supposed.
"Thought you might be hungry," the woman smiled but Emma couldn't help but think that behind it she looked very unhappy. "There's been rumours that someone might be moving in. You and your husband enjoy. My names Elizabeth."
Before Emma could even argue or put across the Neal was not her husband, Elizabeth was gone leaving the container in Emma's hands. At least she hadn't commented on her clothing.
Shaking her head, Emma shut the door and moved the towards the kitchen.
"Emma!" she heard Neal call from upstairs and she stopped moving to lean over the railing.
"Yeah?"
"Have you seen my shirt?" Emma laughed silently.
"Why? Do want it?" she called up flirtatiously before moving into the kitchen area and reading the instructions Elizabeth had put on the box. Neal came down just as Emma was realising they had no plate or cutlery.
His arms wrapped around her waist and he kissed neck.
"We didn't think this through," Emma muttered and felt Neal tense behind her. "We have no household essentials."
"We'll sort it out," Neal assured her in his usual calm voice. "How about we get in the bug and go out for dinner? Then tomorrow, go get some essentials."
"Okay," Emma spun in his arms to smile at him. "Are you sure this is what you want?"
"What I want is you," he smiled the smile that made his eyes crinkle and kissed her softly. "Oh, and my shirt."
"Fine," Emma sighed heavily, pulling the shirt over her head and placing it in his hands whilst he gaped at her. Grinning at him, she danced away back to the bedroom to find her own shirt.
Neal had come back to his senses by the time she found her top and returned downstairs and had also brought in their few boxes of stuff. They didn't have much. Just a couple of items of clothing, Emma's baby blanket and the dreamcatcher, which Emma quickly rushed back upstairs to hang above their bed.
"Where shall we go then?" Emma asked as the got back in the car. She was going to drive this time since Neal had driven the last stretch from Tennessee.
"Think I saw a waffle house as we drove in?" Neal suggested and Emma beamed. "I wonder if they do Pumpkin Pie."
Emma hit him lightly on the arm as she turned on the bug.
So the Waffle House hadn't been the best idea in the world. It was fine but nothing special and Emma missed the chatter and atmosphere of the diner up North. So they'd headed home earlier only to realise that they didn't have a duvet either. Emma groaned. They'd been in tighter spots of course but she really want this day to perfect. Not worrying about the clothes in the car or not having utensils or bed sheets. Neal however was more optimistic and bounced around the house until Emma couldn't help but smile. He found a music channel on the TV which, god knows how, happened to be playing that song he loved so much and Emma let him pull her up to dance.
"Better?" he whispered in her and Emma laughed softly before nodding. She tilted her head to kiss his cheek and he smiled down at her. He reached out to cup her cheek and brushed his lips against hers. "We'll sort this place out."
"I know," Emma smiled softly at him raising her own hand to brush against the stubble of his cheek.
"You know," he said abruptly, though his voice still at a low level that it didn't shatter the calm and soft mood around them, he paused as though debating his words, "back in the Enchanted Forest, they still believe in true love."
"Hmm?" Emma hummed, not even Enchanted Forest talk would be allowed to bring her down now that Neal had her cheered up and encased in his arms.
"Most powerful magic at all," he whispered. "The only thing that can transcend time and realms."
"Really?" she whispered and he hummed in her hair. At least he was being romantic in his insanity.
"You're mine, I know you are," Emma felt herself blushing. "Without my father being the Dark One, without me leaving him. We never would have met."
Emma pulled back slightly, glad that he didn't mention the curse she was apparently in this world to break, "what are you saying?"
"There's not a ton about my father that I remember that doesn't suck," Neal glanced around the room as he spoke as though his words were going to be overheard or ruin something, "but he used to tell me that there are no coincidences. Everything that happens, happens by design and there's nothing we can do about it. Forces greater than us conspire to make it happen. Fate, destiny, whatever you wanna call it. The point is … maybe we met for a reason."
"Sometimes, I think you're a romantic idiot," she smiled up at him fondly, "and a complete fool" - he frowned down at her – "but I'll take this one."
He kissed her softly, "shall we head to bed? Lot to do tomorrow."
As she headed upstairs, Emma was glad to see Neal had acquired some blankets from somewhere – she prayed not one of the hotels they stayed in on the way down – but didn't question it.