Neal had been in town for two days – two days of pure nervousness on Regina's part for what was about to happen. While she loved that her best friend was there to give her emotional support, confessing the truth of her relationship to her father (and ultimately to Emma) had her on edge.
He had tried to convince her that it wasn't a big deal, that they would sit down with her parents and explain that their relationship was strictly a friendship.
And it wasn't as if Regina thought it would affect her father's recovery at this point, but the truth was she didn't want to disappoint him either.
Despite any friction she had with her parents, she didn't like the idea of them thinking badly of her.
It didn't help that she hadn't been sleeping well. The last two nights she had weird dreams about being in a castle and one where Emma was sitting on a throne.
When she got off work she swung by Granny's to pick up Neal. One day in town and his car, which wasn't the greatest anyway, decided to break down and was currently at the shop.
"Meet the parents' night," Neal said getting in the car. He at least was enthused whereas Regina felt like her stomach was slowly being eaten away by acid.
"Or judgment night depending on how you want to look at it," Regina responded as she started to drive.
"Your father isn't going to love you any less because you told a white lie," Neal said.
"Speaking of lies, can we not tell them how we met," Regina said.
"That's the best part of the story," he said. "So no. Besides replacing one lie with another isn't going to help matters. I'm not looking to hide who I am. I've made mistakes and they can either accept that or not. Besides getting into your car that day even if I was going to steal it was not something I consider a mistake."
She smiled at him, thinking how improbable it was that they had become so close after the way they met.
The drive to her parents didn't take long and soon they were entering the house where her father shook Neal's hand and her mother hugged him. Even though her mother knew the truth, Regina had taken the time the day before to speak with her again about Neal. She wanted to make it clear that while there was no romantic entanglement between them Neal was the most important in her life outside of her parents.
They sat down at the dinner table and within minutes Neal was nudging her to get on with it.
"Um there is something I need to tell you," Regina said, facing her father.
"What is it, honey?"
"It's about Neal and me. I know I told you that he and I live together and that he's special to me," Regina said, glancing at Neal who smiled at her. "It's just that when you were in the hospital, you looked sad thinking that I had no one in my life so I told you about Neal. And I realized even as I told you about him that I making you thinking that Neal and I were a couple, but we're not. He's my best friend and that is all. I'm sorry for lying to you. I just wanted you to be happy."
Henry reached over and grasped her hand.
"And that is all I want for you, for you to be happy," he said. "I'm still glad that you have Neal in your life, even if it is just as a friend."
"Well I'm glad that is in the open," Neal said. "Now let me tell you how we met."
Regina drove Neal back to Granny's where he had rented a room.
"So that wasn't so bad," Neal said, noticing how quiet Regina had gotten since they left her parents. He had seen that expression on her face many times. She made it when she was deep in thought – usually about something she didn't want to be thinking about. The fact she didn't respond to him told him she was miles away in her mind at least.
He let her stay that way until they reached their destination.
"What's wrong?" he asked after she parked the car.
"Nothing,"
"I know you better than that and you have always been a horrible liar despite my best efforts in trying to tutor you in the finer arts of deception."
That at least earned him a little smile.
"Let me guess," he said. "Emma."
"I'm that transparent am I?"
"No, but now that your father knows the truth, it's time Emma does."
"I know."
"You know you have to do it, so why the dread face? Do you want me to go with you when you do it?"
"No," she said immediately. "I need to do this on my own. I need to talk to her and not just about you."
"What else do you want to talk to her about?"
"I don't know," she sighed. "Maybe I'm just being stupid to think that anything could be different."
"Oh God," Neal said. "You are still in love with her, aren't you?"
"No … I can't be. That's ridiculous," she said, even if it lacked sincerity. "I think she and I finally need to make a clean break, get the closure that I think both of us need."
"There is nothing wrong with still being in love with her you know?" he said. "Crazier things have happened. You once told me that you and Emma pledged that neither of you would ever love another. As far as I can tell you have held up your end of the bargain. Where I come from they say true love is the strongest magic of all."
"They say that in Tallahassee do they?' she said.
"Well maybe a little outside of Tallahassee," he said. "Come on, hug me before I turn in for the night. We can do breakfast in the morning before you go all mayor on me."
She unbuckled her seat belt and leaned over and hugged him. When he exited the car, he came around to her side and motioned for her to roll down her window.
"Before you talk to her just promise me you will think about if closure is what you want or if it is something else you are looking for," he said.
Regina sat across from Neal having some breakfast before going into the office, although her food mostly sat untouched in front of her as she sipped her coffee.
"You keep looking at the door," Neal commented. "Are you expecting her to come in this morning?"
Regina shrugged, a move that Neal always thought looked odd when she did it. Regina wasn't the kind of person who shrugged. To shrug meant a person was unsure and that didn't describe Regina.
He remembered when they first met, even as flustered as she had gotten, there was still that strength in her. Frankly, he was surprised when she had decided to let him go instead of driving him to the police station.
Telling her parents that story wasn't quite as funny as he thought it would be. Regina did look a little mortified that he had told them the truth. Still, her parents were gracious with him all night, and the fact Regina was there with him this morning meant they hadn't warned her to stay away from him.
He wasn't quite sure he could put into words why he thought he and Regina matched so well. They were completely different in almost every way imaginable but they found a way to make it work for them and that is all that mattered.
When the Philadelphia project was ending Neal had begun to get nervous as Regina began to plan her next job. When she decided on Savannah he hadn't immediately thought about going with her. He had been bouncing around from place to place his entire life and being there in Philly had finally felt like home for him.
It took Regina coming here to her hometown that made Neal realize it wasn't Philadelphia that made him feel like home, it was Regina. Once he came to that realization he knew he would go with her down south.
The way her face had lit up when he told her was all the proof he needed to know he made the right decision.
He loved Regina.
Not in the romantic sense. No, she made her sexuality clear with him from the beginning so he never thought of her in that other way. He couldn't say what he felt for her was like a sister either.
But he hadn't had someone in his life that he was close to in such a long time.
Still, that came with more than a little measure of guilt because he was lying to her.
There were times he had thought of telling her the truth but knew he couldn't. As much as she loved him, she would think he was insane.
Regina was just too logical of a person to ever believe the truth of where he came from.
She thought he was from Tallahassee and she had even mentioned that first day he was in town after he told her he would go to Savannah with her that it would be nice for them to go to Tallahassee so he could show her his hometown. It's not like he hadn't been to Tallahassee before but to pull off a hometown visit would require a lot more research on his part.
At least he had chosen a city to say he was from. He would never be able to pull off something like that in a small town like Storybrooke where everyone knew everyone.
This was an odd little town too. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something about it that was just off.
The door to the diner opened again and Regina's eyes went in that direction. By the disappointed expression on her face, he didn't even need to turn around to see that it wasn't Emma.
He was hoping this Emma would stop by. He would like to finally see the woman who had been Regina's first love. He had seen a picture of her once in Regina's possessions. It was a photo of the two of them when they were seniors in high school and Neal had to admit that it may have been the happiest he had ever seen his friend. Too bad that happiness was frozen in time in a photo that Regina didn't want to look at or think about.
She hadn't been given much choice but to think about it now that she was home. He had told her that she should try and resolve things here yet he wasn't expecting that what needed resolved was the fact that she had lingering feelings for Emma.
If Regina could find happiness like what was in that photo Neal would be in full support of it. All he wanted was for her to be happy.
"So if she doesn't come in for coffee or whatever this morning, what's your plan?" Neal said.
"It will have to wait until later. I have to get into work."
"Ok, but whether it's now or later what are you going to say to her?"
"I'm going to explain that you are my friend."
"And?"
"And what?"
Neal detected the tone in Regina's voice that usually meant she was ready to shut down a discussion because she didn't want to talk about it.
"All I'm saying is that if you still have feelings for her then you owe it to yourself to figure that out. This could be one of those go get the girl moments. You do understand that this could be the last chance for you two to …"
"To what? My life is outside of this town. I'm getting ready to move with you to Savannah. Even if I thought …," she trailed off as the diner door opened again, and then she turned her attention back to Neal. "Her life is here, mine isn't."
"Fair enough," he said, deciding pushing her right now probably wasn't the best move. She had been increasingly tense and each time the door opened and it wasn't Emma he could see it bothered her. He also didn't think she was prepared for if Emma did indeed walk through that door.
"What are you going to do with your day?" she asked.
"I don't know, check out the rest of the town. Maybe work on my music. Don't worry I will find something to occupy my time."
"I'm going up to the counter and pay for this and then I need to get into work," she said getting up. He slid her plate of barely eaten food over, figuring there was no reason it should go to waste.
He had just taken a bite when he heard a voice greeting Regina as "Mayor Mills," and he immediately turned.
He watched as the older man spoke to her but quickly turned back to his plate when Regina was heading back over. It wasn't possible, he thought.
"Call me if you get too bored checking out the town," Regina said to him.
"Hey, who was that man you were talking to just now?" he asked after quickly looking to see the guy was leaving.
"Oh, that is Mr. Gold. He owns the local pawn shop and he is president of the city council. He's the one I told you about who had suggested I take over the mayor's duties. Why do you ask?"
"No reason," he said. "Just curious about who is who in this town."
"Stick around this diner long enough and you will probably get to see everyone in this town sooner or later," she said. "Now I have to go."
"Bye," he said.
The moment she was gone he slid the plate back away from him. He had suddenly lost his appetite.
There was no way the person he had just seen could be the person he thought it was. It wasn't possible he told himself. Yet, he had heard the voice and seen the man and there was no mistaking it – this Mr. Gold was the very image of his father.
Regina had said he owned the pawnshop. Now Neal needed to decide if he should check that place out or stay out of sight until he could get out of this town with Regina.