August was ready now for her to tell him what happened next.
« I'd like to show you something first »
Emma pulled out of one of her pants, an envelope
« The next day you became a little boy again, Neal gave me this letter, if one day you became the man you were again. After all that happened I didn't have time to give it to you »
« It's an invention of the dark one so that you don't tell me the end of the story »
« I would never have invented something like that, when I found it I read it, I wanted to see the importance of this letter and it is very important, August, it can even change your life. »
August took a deep sigh and read the letter:
August, my friend, or should I say my partner, I don't know what the right word is for our relationship. I owe you a truth ... a truth that you will surely have a hard time accepting. Let me tell you what happened after I left Emma in jail. I was contacted by a woman, who was part of the CIA. Initially, she found me in a bar and gave me false information. She was posing as a call girl to come and approach me. Her mission was to protect me and find out the real reason I got out of it and how I managed to get my girlfriend locked up for me. She also didn't hesitate to confide in a certain guy who had abandoned her in Sri Lanka, does that mean anything to you? Of course yes ! You tell yourself the world is small. But I knew it was you when she showed me that bracelet that I saw next to your typewriter. But telling you about my relationship with Annie is not the main subject of this letter. I know this will scare you, that these few words will immediately change your life, but when I met Annie, she was pregnant. It could only be you, even though she had sex with another guy after leaving you she had known she was pregnant a week before you left. Maybe if she'd told you that before, you wouldn't have left her or maybe you did. I accompanied her as much as I could in her pregnancy, I had only that to do for the moment. She was certain from the start that she wanted to abandon this child, I helped her find adoption agencies. On the day of delivery, the doctor gave me this little girl, so innocent, in my arms. Annie was sure not to keep her. She didn't even want to hug her. Her future was the CIA, her new life and you were to be no longer a part of her life in any form whatsoever. She recognized that there were two things she loved the most about you that could be part of her daughter: your eyes, which she already had and your name that breathed the light. She gave her the name Luxe and gave her my last name Cassidy so that you wouldn't find her or that she would find you. After leaving Annie for good, I continued to watch over the little one. My father had abandoned me, I refused to let another child have the same fate as me. I learned that she had not been adopted when she was born, she had a childhood illness until she was three years old. I wanted to adopt her but with my thief background it was not possible, nevertheless it was agreed that I pay her once a month, 150 dollars, anonymously and it continues today. Not long after you left for Storybrooke, I met this gorgeous ten-year-old girl, who had run away from her foster family because she was in trouble. She had six foster families in seven years, she was in great pain. I took her under my wing for a while but Tamara, whom I had started dating, was furious that I was harboring a young girl who wasn't even mine. I encouraged her to join another host family. Luxe is an adorable child who has needed a father for years. I wasn't up to it but maybe her real dad will. Her last foster family where I left her is… in New York.
I wish you good luck !
Neal "
August looked at the dark one, taken aback. In the hollow of the envelope, there was a photo, it was Neal and his daughter at 10 years old. She had gorgeous blond hair and a smart, happy smile.
« August, you should take the time to think about it »
August looked at his phone and typed her daughter's name "Luxe Cassidy" on a social network. He saw a lot of information. She was 14 years old now. Luxe was the kind of girl who liked to post pictures of herself, her friends, but never her family. There were a lot of pictures with a young girl named Tasha, who must have been her best friend. She was enrolled in college ... in New York,
« I can't get out of town anyway, because of your curse we turn into a tree »
« I have a potion, I'll give it to you, Regina and Henry. Leave all three, you will be safe for what will follow »
« Regina wants answers »
« I know, but I can't yet, but Henry I want him safe with you and his other mother, I'll manage, I promise. I won't disappoint you for once. »
Emma gave him the potion, the keys to her apartment from the second curse and wished his good luck, August hugged her thanking her.
He arrived at Regina's place. Henry was upstairs in his room. August not saying a word, showed the letter to his partner.
« Regina, you told me a few days ago that you were fed up with all these magic and curse stories and if the three of us went with Henry looking for my daughter it would be a little more fun adventure than dark ones to save and wizards to find. »
« You know my old self would be jealous if you had another child with another woman but you're lucky because I can't give it to you »
« What are you talking about ? »
« I had thought about it some time ago to tell you but it was perhaps still too early. I know you would like a happy ending, a wife, children, the hope for your father to see his little children grow up like he didn't have the chance with you. Several years ago in the Enchanted Forest, I drank a sterility potion because I didn't want my mother to use my child to manipulate him like she did with me, I didn't think it was going to fall on me one day, that I was stupid. »
August took her shoulder and hugged it.
« That's why you adopted Henry and you watched him grow up. Hey you know we're all kinda related. Henry is like my father's grandson. We don't care about blood ties. The family is those who fly to our aid, who rush head first into the adventure for us, those who are not ashamed of us when we fall, that's what I felt when I arrived in Storybrooke. And when a new person comes in, people try to adjust, they are resourceful so that every member of the family has a place. That's why I'll need you more than I need to take care of Luxe. You know, I am not ready to be the father especially of a 14 year old girl who lived a life like Emma. I swear I've never been so scared but we can do it together. »
« Do you have a plan? You still do not go crazy at her host family and say "hi, I am your biological father"
« No, he laughed, we'll be a little more succinct. »
He called Henry downstairs and explained the situation to him.
« I need your help, Henry. We're gonna pretend we're married and you're our son, we believe it, right? And Henry, we will enroll you in the same college as she in addition you are the same age and you will have to get closer to her, become her friend, her confidant, I know that you are capable of it and when she will have come several times at home i will tell her the truth »
« Not bad », Regina exclaimed
« We will have to make people believe that we both have a job, a story, to know how we got Henry. We'll have to put in place something plausible », August thinked
« What a beautiful lie, you should make it your job », Henry said ironically
August gave him a mocking smile.
« Find us a name for Operation Henry, I know you're a champion »
« Let me think about it: Operation Caladrius »
« What are you still going to get us? »
« It is a bird of the Middle Ages, it is solitary and refined »
« It's almost pretty » , said Regina
The new family set off in Cruella's car in the footsteps of Pinocchio's biological daughter.