7:15 AM AU - Things go a bit differently in the cabin during 7:15 AM. With memories returned, how will this change things?

Wow! Such a great response to this fic, which has turned out to be even more amazing than I thought it would. The idea for this fic actually started as an idea in my head on a drive to work, way back in January or February when I actually still drove to work. I work from home now like most and am glad this idea came to fruition. I'm glad everyone is enjoying the twists and turns. Season 1 can be very fun to play with. Enjoy this latest and keep reviewing! Here are individual responses to reviews:

Ghostwriter: Yep, poor Neal. This is not something he expected at all and will probably complicate everything. Yeah, I wouldn't count on Regina not being a pain for a while, lol. Glad you're enjoying! :)

Grace5231973: Yep, Tamara is here so things are going to get even more complicated. I know, poor Henry and Neal is in an uncomfortable place now. Glad you're enjoying!

Number Ten: Yep, Regina is on the warpath and it probably won't get better. I know, Henry being in the middle is not good. Yep, no magic is a very big blessing right now. Glad you're enjoying! :)

sexystarwarslover: Neal is definitely in a pickle and Emma is going to chew him out for sure. Yeah, Snowing cuddling together is the best. Yep, Rumple will help. He and Snowing are united on the same side now, because of their kids. Yeah, that's true, but in this case, it means exactly that, Emma. No, Mary Margaret shouldn't have been fired. Yep, August wrote a fluff piece. It will be good for them, even though he did it mainly to help himself. Yeah, Tamara being here will never be a good thing. Eek, yeah Regina is on the warpath now! I know, Gold's response was spot on. I pictured him saying it as I wrote that. Now, Neal must explain so that should be fun, lol. Glad you're enjoying! :)

AnonSnowing: Yeah, Snowing cuddles is the best. Yes, Snow is exactly where she should be. Yeah, losing her memories was probably a blessing. Having them and being able to do nothing about it would have been torture. Yeah, David would do anything for his family. Yeah, Emma does find them fascinating so that's something. Yeah, it doesn't mean you're related, but in this case it does and deep down, Emma knows it. She's just going to be in denial for a while longer.

The custody battle will definitely be very interesting. Yeah, Neal didn't plan on mixing her into this world, which should make him think about if really actually loves her or not. Yep, those who accuse you of things are usually the ones guilty of the very thing they are accusing others of. It's actually one of my favorite things to use in characterization. Yep, now Neal has some 'splaining to do. Glad you're enjoying! :)

Clarity

Chapter 13: Awkward Situation

"T...Tamara…" he uttered nervously and she made a display by siding up to him and pecking him on the lips.

"You left town so abruptly that I was worried. When you told me where you were...I decided to come find you," she said, as she looked around at the other people in the room.

"This is such a small town though...it wasn't even on the map. I think I just got lucky when I stumbled upon it," she added. Emma narrowed her gaze at that. She could sense a liar a mile away.

"Uh yeah...I was going to call you," he stammered.

"Well, I'm here now, so what's going on?" she asked.

"Well…I have a son. One that I didn't know about," Neal replied. Her eyes widened.

"A son?" she asked. He nodded.

"With who?" she asked.

"With me," Emma said, as she stepped forward.

"You?" Tamara asked, as her hackles seemed to go up.

"And you never told him?" she asked in an accusing tone. Emma opened her mouth to defend herself, but Neal beat her to it.

"Emma is my ex and about eleven years ago, she went to prison for something I did," he admitted.

"She went to prison, I took off, and she had a baby in prison. She couldn't keep him and gave him up for adoption. The Mayor of this town is actually our adopted son's mother," Neal explained. Tamara looked a bit shell-shocked by that.

"So...how did he find you?" she asked.

"He didn't...he found Emma first and then they happened to run into me in New York," Neal replied.

"That's a hell of a coincidence," she commented.

"Uh yeah…" he admitted.

"Okay...so how long are you going to be staying? We have a life in New York and we'll be getting married soon," she reminded him.

"Married?" Emma asked, as her eyebrows were in her hair and that admission made David and Mary Margaret exchange a worried glance.

"Yeah...Tamara is my fiancé," Neal said, in an uncomfortable tone. Emma was silent for a beat.

"I see," she replied.

"But I can't go back to New York right now," he said.

"Honey, I get that you have a son now, but what about our life there?" she asked.

"I have to stay. My son isn't happy with his adopted mother and my father thinks that if Emma and I file for custody against her...we can win," he replied.

"You're filing for custody together?" she asked in a sharp tone. He winced.

"We stand a better chance, even though we're not together. Emma was under duress when she gave him up and I didn't even know about him. A joint filing makes sense," Neal explained.

"I see...well, I support you and I guess I wouldn't mind taking some time off," she said.

"You don't have to do that. Honestly, we don't even have our first court date yet. This could take weeks...or longer," he replied.

"Well, I can at least stay a few days and then we can play it by ear," she said, as she kissed him and Emma looked away.

"So...when do I get to meet your son?" she asked and Emma wanted to claw her eyes out at that. Something inside her told her to keep this woman away from Henry. There was no way she believed that she just got lucky and found Storybrooke. Something was seriously off with her.

"Uh...well, his adopted mother is pretty pissed, but hopefully soon," Neal replied.

"Okay...well, should we go back to the Inn?" she asked.

"Actually...I need to talk to my father about some things. Can you go back and I'll meet you there soon?" he asked. She nodded.

"Your father? The one that abandoned you?" she asked.

"Yeah...it's complicated," he replied.

"Your father lives in the same town as your son's adoptive mother?" she asked skeptically.

"Like I said...this thing has a lot of moving parts," he replied.

"Okay…I'll see you later," she said, as she left the room.

"We need to talk," Emma snapped when she was gone and then stormed out of the room.

"Oh hell…" he complained, as he followed her, leaving Gold in the room with David and Mary Margaret.

"Well...that wasn't awkward or anything," David muttered.

"I miss being able to comfort Emma," Mary Margaret said and he squeezed her hand.

"I know...but I know she's going to let you in again, eventually," he promised.

"Meanwhile...we have a huge problem with an outsider in Storybrooke," Gold said.

"Yeah…I didn't think it was possible for people to come here from outside, except Emma," David recalled.

"It's not...unless you know what you're looking for," Gold said, as he looked at them. David and Mary Margaret exchanged a worried glance.

"Emma…" Neal started to say.

"You're engaged!?" she demanded to know.

"Yes...why does it matter?" he asked.

"We have a son! If you're going to be in Henry's life...that means she is too! I had a right to know!" Emma replied.

"You're right...and I wasn't hiding it. Things have just been nuts from the moment we met again in New York to now," he said and she couldn't really argue with that.

"Fine...but it doesn't make any sense how she found this place. I found it only because Henry guided me. Storybrooke isn't even on any of the road signs," Emma said.

"Yet you deny the book," Neal countered and she sighed, wanting to scream at him now.

"Don't change the subject. How did she even find this place?" she asked.

"I don't know! Tamara is resourceful," he replied and she rolled her eyes at that.

"Besides, if the book is bullshit, then why does it matter? It's not like this isn't just a normal town and it's not like my fiancé is dangerous or something," he added.

"Look...I know when someone is lying and she is," Emma accused.

"She's not lying...and I never bought that whole thing with your superpower," Neal replied.

"Since when?" she asked.

"Well, if you really can tell when people are lying...then are they lying?" Neal asked, as he gestured toward the room.

"That's not the same," she replied, with a sigh.

"Why? Are they lying?" he asked. She pursed her lips.

"Just because they believe what they are saying doesn't mean it's true," she replied. He snickered at that and shook his head.

"Right," he deadpanned.

"Okay...fine, I'll play your game. If the book is true...then ask yourself how bad it would be if people from outside did just start to roll into town. Even if she isn't lying or isn't a threat, she might tell others in passing about this quaint little town, hidden in the woods of Maine. So then this town becomes a tourist attraction and if this book is true and is somehow exposed...then it puts Henry in danger," she reasoned. He couldn't refute that, because he knew it was true. This town had secrets and though there was no magic to expose them, he never liked to take chances with people he cared about.

"I'll urge her to go back to New York, but she's going to get suspicious if I press her too hard," he said.

"Whatever...but that's not all we need to talk about," she replied.

"What else is there?" he asked.

"If we win against Regina...are you going back to New York? Are we really going to shuffle Henry back and forth?" she questioned.

"Why don't you just move back to New York with us?" he asked and she blanched.

"Because I have a life here...Henry has a life here," she replied.

"According to you...not really. I mean, what do you have here? If David and Mary Margaret aren't your parents and our son's grandparents...then you don't really have any ties here," he pointed out.

"But you do...your father," she countered. He snorted.

"Yeah...he'll be lucky if I visit him on holidays at this point. You may not believe anything in the book actually happened, but I lived it. He abandoned me in the worst way...and no, I'm not over it," he replied, as he walked away at that point to return to the Inn, leaving Emma alone in the hallway to ponder all the thoughts and emotions that had been stirred up that evening.

"You're quiet…" David mentioned, as he pressed a kiss to her hair. Gold had left and the nurse had lowered the lights in his room. The nurse had tersely offered a cot for her, but she refused and still remained cuddled against him in his hospital bed, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I was just thinking...I don't think Emma ever really got over Neal," she murmured.

"That makes sense...first love. I know I would never get over you. I just got lucky that I got to marry my first and only love," he whispered to her, which made her want to melt. He always knew exactly what to say to her.

"You're my first and only too," she replied, as she kissed him again, before they settled down and fell asleep in each other's arms

Regina angrily poured herself a glass of apple flavored liquor and took a big sip, letting the stinging liquid slide down her throat. After making sure Henry's window was locked from the outside, she was confident he was finally in his room, sleeping, leaving her to her own devices.

Any plans that had been in the works were now completely blown to hell by all the recent developments. She had planted all the right seeds to frame Mary Margaret for a crime. A crime committed by a jealous mistress against the wife of the man she was sleeping with. Harming Kathryn in any way had given her a moment of pause and that's why she had planned to go to Gold for help. He would help her with her plan for the right promise. But that option was gone now. Everything had changed. He could no longer be counted on as a shaky ally, for his son was the biological father of her son and he was now coming after custody of Henry.

David had divorced Kathryn and was now firmly with Mary Margaret. The town had still hated them, but the conflict between Kathryn and Mary Margaret had faded quickly with the divorce, as David clearly made his choice. But what was even worse now was that August had a story floating out there that she had helped Kathryn forge a marriage license that trapped the amnesiac David in a false marriage to keep him away from his true love, Mary Margaret Blanchard. The article painted Kathryn as the Mayor's lonely, browbeaten friend that agreed to go along with Regina's plot to keep them apart out of her hatred of Mary Margaret. She didn't know who this August W. Booth was and how he knew so much about all of them, but she didn't like it at all. Everything was completely screwed up and now she didn't know how she was going to fix any of it.

That's when she heard a knock at her door. She put her glass down and answered, only to find Kathryn there, looking miserable.

"I see you've seen that article," Regina said, as she let the blonde in.

"Yes...why would he write such a thing?" Kathryn wondered and that's when a thought struck Regina and she smirked evilly, before closing the door and turning to the other woman.

"It's quite simple, actually. This is Mary Margaret. Somehow, she convinced this reporter to write this monstrous article against us out of her hatred of us and her desire to keep her hooks in David," Regina said. Kathryn's eyes widened.

"You think so?" Kathryn asked.

"Absolutely...this is the woman that destroyed your marriage! And now she's trying to get the town to stop hating her by facilitating some outlandish story that she's David's true love? She is a lying, homewrecking little tramp and this cannot stand," Regina replied.

"But...what can we do? David chose her...he left me and he's with her," Kathryn said. Regina smirked deviously and turned to her.

"I have a plan...do you trust me?" Regina asked.

"Of course," Kathryn replied.

"Then leave everything to me and we'll make that little tramp pay for what she's done," Regina said vaguely, as a new plan formed in her head.