Emma sits in the mayor's office, doing some last minute preparing for her big presentation. Her mother spent most of last night preparing her for this, which relieves some of her doubts, but not all of them. She is still nervous, since this is her big test to prove that she is good enough to be a ruler. She wants everything to go perfectly. She bought a brand new business suit for the occasion and looks very professional if she does say so herself. She idly wonders what type of attire will be required once they travel to her homeland. Somehow, she just can't picture herself in a fairy tale gown.
"Still feeling nervous?" Neal asks. He accompanied her here for her big speech and five people stopped him to ask if Gold really is his father. He merely said yes with gritted teeth and walked on quickly. Emma didn't have a chance to bring up the subject of his father last night, since she was exhausted by the time she got home. She fell asleep the second her head hit the pillow and she had great dreams about the future, but it was clear when she woke up that either Neal didn't get any sleep or nightmares of his father filled his sleep. She resolved to bring the subject up after work.
"A little," Emma replies.
"Don't worry," Neal says. "You'll do great. I listened to your rehearsal presentation with Mary and it was perfect."
"Thank you, but that was in a relaxed setting with no pressure," Emma says. "Actually presenting it to the town council is very different. I'll have those jokers who oppose of my mother there and they'll want to disagree with me no matter what I say. I'm not totally confident in my ability to handle them as well as she did."
"Yes, but Mary prepared you for that too," Neal says. "Just listen to her advice and you'll do fine."
"Thanks," Emma says, trying to put her fears aside. "I just want this to go perfectly."
"My advice to you is to try to put your desire to be perfect aside," Neal says. "Mary has had years of practice at these types of things and I'm sure she's not expecting you to be perfect your first time out. Don't worry about trying to live up to her standards or expectations whatever you think they are. Just do the best you can, and if you do make any mistakes, just correct them quickly and keep on with the presentation. This won't be your last major presentation after all, and I'm sure after enough practice you'll be just as good as Mary is."
Emma looks at Neal strangely. "What?" he asks.
"That's almost the exact same advice Snow gave me," Emma says. "Did she tell you to tell me that?"
"No," Neal says. Emma glares at him for a few seconds and then he continues. "Actually it was David," he admits. "I don't have any experience at giving public speeches so I asked him for some advice on how to help you relax beforehand."
Emma laughs at his admission. "Thank you," she says. "It helped."
"Emma, the meeting is about to start," Snow says entering the office. Emma follows her mother out of the office, with Neal trailing them. "Your proposal is the second one on the agenda today. The first is a proposal by Isabella that she worked out with several high school and elementary teachers about getting more kids interested in reading."
The group exits her office and starts to walk across the building to the public meeting area. Before Emma can ask any questions about Isabella's proposal, the woman in question runs into the building.
"Sorry I'm late," she says.
"You're not late," Mary says. "In fact, you're right on time."
"Phew that's a relief," Isabella says.
"Good morning, Isabella," Emma says, smiling.
"Good morning," she answers back, and then notices Neal and her smile fades slightly. It's the first time she's seen him since that morning when she learned Neal is her husband's son. "Neal..." she says uncertainly, at a loss for what to say to him.
Neal is also at a loss for what to say to his...stepmother. Oh gods, this is weird. Neal is mad at his father for what he did, but he can't be mad at the sweet young woman who's been so nice to him and Emma since they got here. He's still struggling for what to say when Ruby enters the building and walks up to him.
"Hey Ruby," Neal says. "What's up?"
"What's up is you're late for work," she says, "and you still haven't filed a report on the accident victim you found the day before yesterday."
"I totally forget about that," Neal says.
"I understand," Ruby says, "but the hospital really needs the report for insurance purposes. It's supposed to be completed within twenty-four hours of the incident, but I let it slide because I figured you were preoccupied because of the article about..." she trails off.
"I understand," Neal says. "Let's go and I'll fill it out right away." He turns to Emma. "Sorry I really wanted to see your presentation."
"I understand," Emma says. "You have your own work to do."
"I'll see you tonight," Neal says giving her a quick kiss before leaving with Ruby.
Neal leaves town hall with Ruby, enters the town cruiser, and heads off to the hospital. They drive in silence for a few minutes before finally arriving at the hospital.
"So..." Ruby says hesitantly as she parks the car.
Neal sighs. "It's okay," he says. "You can go ahead and ask."
"Okay," Ruby says. "Is Mr. Gold really your father?"
"Yes," Neal says.
"And you had no idea he was in town?" she asks.
"No," Neal replies.
"Wow," Ruby says. "I mean what are the odds?"
"Better than you might think, apparently," Neal mutters under his breath.
"What was that?" Ruby asks.
"Nothing," Neal replies.
"I heard some of the story from Isabella," Ruby says. "She wouldn't tell me much because she promised her husband she'd keep it secret. She only told me that she knew that Gold had a son from a previous marriage and that you had a falling out when you were fourteen which caused you to be separated."
"What she told you is true," Neal says, "but the whole story is a lot more complicated. My mother abandoned the both of us when I was seven, but my father took care of me. We were always poor, barely scraping by, but we were happy. Then, when I was fourteen, my father received an unexpected inheritance and it changed him. He became obsessed with gaining more money and power, until I almost didn't recognize him anymore."
"And then what happened?" Ruby asks.
"He promised we would move away and start over, but instead he abandoned me," Neal says.
"From what Isabella told me the two of you got separated and your father has regretted it ever since," Ruby says.
"It's complicated," Neal says quietly. "He told me he regretted abandoning me and spent years searching for me, but I also learned he continued to do terrible things to people, and I don't know if I have it in me to forgive him."
Ruby is quiet for a moment before continuing. "I know what you're talking about," she says. "When I first met him, Mr. Gold was a terrible person who was only concerned about expanding his own power and wealth. Then he started dating Isabella."
She pauses for a moment and Neal notices her face contort in confusion, as if trying to remember something that is just beyond her grasp. He wonders if that's the curse starting to weaken, but before he can say anything, Ruby continues. "Isabella was always capable of seeing the good in anyone, but I thought she was crazy when the two of them started to date," she says. "A lot of people who didn't know her thought she was just after Gold's money and if I hadn't known her so well, I probably would have thought that too, but she never cared about being rich. She honestly saw something in him that no one else could he gradually began to change and become a better person."
"I know," Neal says quietly. "I saw how the two of them interacted the other day at the pawnshop. I didn't see a trace of the evil that tainted his soul after he gained his power, and I don't remember ever seeing him look so carefree or happy. I could see he was happier with her then he ever was with my mother."
"Do you still love him?" Ruby asks.
"Part of me does," Neal says. "When I saw first saw him in town, after I got over my initial shock and anger, and saw how different he was from the last time I saw him, I thought we might have a second chance. But then I learned of some of the things he did..." He trails off
"What things?" Ruby asks.
"I can't tell you. Not yet," Neal says. He can't tell her about the curse before it's broken or she'll think he's crazy. "Suffice it to say they were bad, even worse than you can imagine. I could see the regret he had in his eyes about abandoning me and I can probably forgive him for that, but I'm not sure I can forgive him for all the harm he caused others."
Ruby is silent for a moment. "What happens between you and your father is your business," she finally says, "but I hope for Isabella's sake you can work things out. She's a good person and yesterday was the most worried I ever saw her. She's very concerned about how her husband will react if you don't forgive him."
"I don't want to hurt her," Neal says. "She's a good person and has become a good friend to both Emma and me, but I can't make any promises where my father is concerned. I just need more time to process everything."
"Fair enough," Ruby says. "For now let's just concentrate on getting this report done. Then if you feel up to it you can patrol for the day."
"Sure thing," Neal says. "And I'm sorry again for not coming to work yesterday."
"Like I said before, don't mention it," Ruby says. They enter the building and find Dr. Whale. "Good morning, Vincent," she greets him with a huge smile.
"Good morning, Ruby," Vincent says, returning the smile. "Are we still on for tomorrow tonight?"
"Yes," Ruby says and then switches to a seductive voice, "and I bought some brand new lingerie for the occasion, so I hope you're up for another marathon session."
"You know it," Dr. Whale grins.
"Um, anyway I'm here to fill that accident report," Neal says, a bit uncomfortable watching them flirt.
"Oh sure," Dr. Whale says, and then pauses. "I'm really very sorry about that newspaper article. One of the nurses sold both Mr. Gold's and your DNA samples to Sydney. The nurse has been fired and I hope you don't blame the hospital for what happened."
"I don't," Neal says, "but I don't want you firing anyone on my behalf, and if my father is threatening you, I'll have a talk with him."
"No, Mr. Gold hasn't contacted the hospital about the situation at all yet, which is a bit unusual," Dr. Whale says. "But we take patient confidently very seriously, and to sell people's confidential medical records for your own personal benefit is a disgrace to the medical profession and won't be tolerated. Who's to say she hasn't done it before and won't do it again?"
"When you put it like that then I guess you have no choice," Neal says.
"No we don't," Dr. Whale says. "It's a shame too, she was a very good nurse, but we can't tolerate theft of this nature and we have already begun an internal review to find out if she stole any more information. If this was her first offense, she may be able to get off with a warning and a fine from the medical board, but if she has sold more information she'll probably lose her license and never be able to get a job in the medical profession again."
Neal feels sorry for the woman, but she did break the law, and besides once Emma breaks the curse she'll probably be able to go back to the life she had before as if nothing had happened.
"Now then, let's fill out that report," Dr. Whale says, motioning the two of them to follow him to his office.
Neal quickly fills out the report, trying to remember the details clearly. He wasn't in the best state of mind when he found the man, but he still does his best to get everything right.
"You wrote down that you noticed one of his legs was made of wood?" Dr. Whale asks, reading the report.
"Yes," Neal says, causing Dr. Whale to frown. "What is it?"
"He doesn't have a wooden leg," Dr. Whale says. "Both of his legs are flesh and blood, but I had to take the x-rays on the leg you said was wooden four-times before I got a result. Also when I got the results from his blood tests back, they showed some kind of degeneration I've never seen before."
"He doesn't have a wooden leg?" Neal asks in shock. "I know I was out of it when I found him, but to imagine a wooden leg..."
"Is he awake yet?" Ruby asks.
"Not yet," Dr. Whale says. "I was concerned that this disease whatever it is would impede his natural healing processes, so I put him in a medically induced coma so he could heal properly. I'll bring him out of it in about seven days. Then you'll be able to question him."
"Okay," Ruby says.
Ruby and Neal head off. "I'm sorry about being wrong about his leg," Neal says. "I don't know how I could have made that kind of mistake."
"Don't worry about it," Ruby says. "You weren't on duty, had had a long day, and Dr. Whale did say something was wrong with that leg. It was dark where you found him, so maybe whatever was wrong with his leg made it feel stiff like wood and you just imagined seeing it."
"You're probably right," Neal says, cheering up. When they enter the parking lot and get back into the car, Neal decides to bring something up. "I have a theoretical question for you. Suppose a guy was going to propose to you. How'd you want him to do it?"
"Propose to me?" Ruby asks in shock. "Did Vincent put you up to this because we only just started going out. I like him more than anyone I've dated in a long time, but even considering marriage is way too soon."
"No, no, no," Neal backpedals quickly. "This has nothing to do with Dr. Whale or you. Just generally speaking as a woman, how would you want to be proposed to?"
"Oh!" Ruby says, realizing what he wants. "You're going to ask Emma to marry you?"
"Yes," Neal says. "The subject came up and she said she did want to get married, but she also wanted a memorable proposal."
"Hmm," Ruby says. "My advice is to wait two weeks. In the middle of October, the town sets up the fall festival. We decorate the entire downtown area with lights, there are all sorts of games, sort of like a carnival, and everyone dresses up in clothes like the kind they wore in the 1700s. The nuns from the covenant always make some kind of handcrafted items they sell to raise money, and the people from the school sell home baked goods as well. Then, at the stroke of midnight on the 15th, the anniversary of the day the founders of Storybrooke completed the original town hall, there's a huge fireworks display."
"Wow that sounds perfect," Neal says.
"The best place to view the fireworks is from the top of the library clock tower," Ruby says. "Technically you're not supposed to be in there, but I snuck in one day during my youth and it was worth it. Since then they've added a security system to prevent kids from sneaking in, but I'm sure if I talked to Isabella, I could convince her to let you in."
"Thanks," Neal says. "In the meantime I made reservations at Talia's Italian Restaurant. I planned it as a surprise for Emma to celebrate her successful presentation today."
"That's a good idea," Ruby says and then frowns. "Did you plan on what to do if her presentation goes wrong? Emma's a bright girl and very talented, but even Mary made some blunders when she first started out as mayor."
"I'm not worried," Neal says. "I have every confidence that she'll do great. But on the off chance something does go wrong, she'll probably need some cheering up."
Ruby is about to respond when her cellphone rings. She answers it and frowns as she listens to the voice on the other end of the line. "Calm down, sir," Ruby says.
"What is it?" Neal asks as Ruby continues trying to get whomever she's speaking with to calm down to no avail.
"From what I gather from the man's ranting a couple of kids who live next door, who he's been having problems with skipped school and decided to play a prank on him," Ruby says, putting her hand over the mouthpiece of the phone. "From the way he sounds, the pranks got out of control and seriously damaged the house."
Removing her hand, she once again attempts to reason with the obviously enraged caller.
"Sir, calm down," she says in her most commanding voice. "Now tell me the address and we'll be right there." She hangs up, turns to Neal, and sighs. "I have a feeling it's going to be a long day."