Based on anonymous prompt from Tumblr: "You're an idiot. I married an idiot".
The station is dark. All is quiet. Her parents offered to get dinner with her, but she's not hungry. Emma's eating patterns have been off for weeks.
She pulls the box onto her desk, letting out a sigh. She had once kept it in her mom's apartment but after Regina stopped Pan's curse she had it back in her apartment in New York. Luckily, she had thrown it in the bug when Hook came to get her and Henry from New York. They were now in a state of unknown. Snow and David didn't want to stay in the loft for long, it wouldn't work out well with their growing family. However, it wasn't like they had time to apartment hunt with all that was going on. Emma still hadn't unpacked everything in her room up in the loft. She loved her parents, she'd follow them to a new home. She just...felt so lost lately.
First, she removes the baby blanket, feeling the soft wool beneath her skin. She still can't believe that Granny had made that for her. It is so intricate and well made, somehow lasted nearly three decades and dozens of foster homes, not to mention her living on the streets. How was that even possible? She sets it over her lap for comfort, just like she used to.
Next is the shoelaces she had taken off of Graham's boots. She thought those were once lost forever. Cursed, Emma had thought they were her own or something. Now, they are a memory of an old friend. She sighs and places them on the desk.
She goes through old, beat up books and Polaroid photographs. One sticks out to her in particular. Her and Neal. Their foreheads touched. Today it'd be considered a selfie. Back then, it was a miracle, captured out of pure luck. She traced his face, her stomach hurting as she remembers that day. They had a good haul. He smiled at her like she hung the moon. She can still remember that smile, she sees it every night when she falls asleep. She dreams of them at the fair. The bright lights of the swings. They always planned to go back.
Another dream that died that dark day in the woods.
She places the Polaroid into her bag to show Henry. She doesn't have much to give him of his dad, but will what she can. He has the swan keychain that Neal stole for her and she's told all the stories that are age appropriate for a near 13 year old. It's not enough to replace having his dad there, but it's all she has. And she can tell he appreciates it.
At the bottom of the box, Emma sees a few video tapes along with a very dated video camera. She remembers taking the camera from Lily. She quickly shakes the memory of the old friend out of her head, not wanting to get angry right then. She looks at the labels on the tapes and finds one that simply says Neal.
Emma picks it up and puts it into the camera. She hooks it up to the TV in the corner of the station, pulling it closer to her desk. She snuggles up into her chair and presses play. A small gasp escapes her lips as a younger version of Neal comes across the screen. His curly brown hair and wide chocolate eyes captivate her and make the tears pool in her eyes.
"Is this thing on?"
She can hear his voice for the first time in weeks and it brings her back to the last thing he said to her.
"Go find Tallahassee, even if it's without me."
Next Emma could hear her own voice.
"Yes, the red light is on!"
Neal backed up and revealed the two of them standing side by side. They only had a couple of outfits back then and were wearing their leather jackets over them. The picture on the video was grainy but she could see the swan keychain around her neck. Neal threw his arm around her and pressed a million kisses to her face. Emma listened as the younger version of herself squealed and giggled.
"You're an idiot," she said. "I married an idiot."
"Yeah, well you're stuck with me now."
Emma watches as her younger version smiled at younger Neal and kissed him. She thinks back to that day, when they went to the courthouse. They had decided if they were going to run away together, they were going to spend forever together. So, they eloped.
She had gone to get a divorce once she had left prison. She would find out that the marriage was invalid because of their fake IDs anyway, along with them both being 17. The marriage was annulled and she tried not to think about it.
But to her, it was still real. She had promised to spend forever with him. And it was why it hurt even more when he took off.
It was why it killed her when he died.
They were never going to get their second chance.
The tape turns to black, taking it with it the picture of their marriage. Emma stares at the TV as if she can will it to come back, as if she can will Neal can come back.
But the TV remains blank.