No more magic

Neal Nolan asked for a oneshot of...read and see.

Neal felt like no matter what he did, the world around him was never going to stop spinning. He didn't want to be here. He just wanted to go to bed. But every Wednesday, the family ate dinner at Granny's. It had been a tradition since Neal was a baby and he didn't want to muck it up now. Even though he felt awful, he suffered through dinner. Of course his parents had noticed something wasn't right. They had offered to cancel, but he had insisted on going. He had been so quiet during the whole evening. It just wasn't like him at all.

It all got too much for Neal just as dessert was being served. He excused himself from the table to go get a drink of water, but halfway to the bathroom, he stopped dead in his tracks. He had felt something warm trickling down his face. He smelt metal. He raised his hand to just above his mouth and felt something wet. When he pulled back, his fingers were stained red with blood.

"Neal, you ok there buddy?" Charming asked from the table. Neal turned around, alarmed. As soon as the family saw the nosebleed, they got pretty worried as well. It was gushing out his nose. They got up to help him, but before anyone reached him, Neal collapsed on the floor.

Neal's head was pounding when he opened his eyes. He was still lying on the ground, although now his family had surrounded him.

"What happened?" He croaked.

"You fainted." Charming answered as he helped Neal sit up. "Don't stand up just yet." He told him. Neal nodded. Snow took a napkin from the countertop and dabbed at her son's nose, peering into his eyes. Emma handed her mom a cup of water. She held it up to Neal's mouth, giving him small sips.

"What happened there, honey?" She asked him. "Have you been feeling sick?" Neal shook his head. Admitting he didn't feel well meant admitting why. "Neal." Snow said, knowing he was lying. "What's going on."

"I was practicing my magic by myself when you and dad were in the garden." Neal admitted. Snow tensed up. Neal knew it wasn't safe for him to practice alone.

"What were you doing that for?" Charming asked, crouching down beside his son. Neal shrugged again.

"Be honest with us." Snow said. "We can't help if you won't tell us the truth." Neal sighed.

"There's something always happening with this family." He began. "Someone's always in trouble some way or another. I have magic. I can help. I just need to practice more." He explained. Snow frowned.

"We've been over this, Neal." She said gently. "You might have magic, but it takes years to be able to use it at the drop of a hat without injuring yourself. I think you've just proved that." She pointed out. "We were just as strict when your sister was learning." She told him. Emma nodded. They really had been. "You're even younger than she was. No more magic for now, yeah? It's not worth risking your health." She told him. Neal nodded glumly. He just wanted to be able to help.