"I don't want too much information to get out," his father said, having pulled Sheriff Nolan to the side. "He does not want my ex to find him. And frankly, if I see her again, I don't guarantee I won't do something rash."

David nodded slowly, a look on his face that said he expected Aiden Gold to say that. "I understand, Aiden. Do you want to make any sort of announcement here?"

His father frowned slightly. "I think it may be necessary. You know how some of the reporters and, ah, private investigators can be in this town. Robin can do it… he's due to make one soon anyway."

"I'll speak to Robin then, and get back to you."

"Thank you, David. I appreciate it."

"Of course, and congratulations. I'm glad your son is finally home."

As David walked off, Neal rose to his feet. "I… should probably tell Emma the truth before the speech. She's probably wondering where I've been."

"Of course, son. You enjoy your night. We can talk tomorrow…?"

Neal nodded slowly. "Yeah, I don't have a shift tomorrow, so I'll meet you at your shop. Thanks… papa."

And with that, he made his way back to where Emma was sitting with a small plate of appetizers.

"There you are, Neal. Is everything okay?" Emma asked with a frown. "You looked a little shaky when you left."

"Emma… there's something I need to tell you. I'm Baelfire Gold… the missing kid you were talking about earlier."

"You wh – "

"I'm Baelfire. I've known I was Baelfire my entire life. I came here to find out the truth. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before but – "

"Hey, it's okay. I get it. I mean, I don't know all of the details, but I get why you wouldn't want to just tell a waitress that you were essentially undercover," Emma said, taking his hand gently and smiling. "But, uh – just tell me what name you like better. Just so I know what to call you."

He laughed, squeezing her hand with a grin as his heart pounded against his ribs nervously. "Honestly, I've been living this life as Neal for only a few years now, but… honestly, I think I like it better than Baelfire. No offense to my dad."

"I'm sure he won't be offended, I'd bet he's just happy to know you're okay."

"Yeah. He's not nearly the monster I was told he was. I knew they had to be lying, but I just… needed time to see it for myself."

She nodded. "Yeah, I mean, Mr. Gold is intimidating, but he's always been kind to my family and I. He said he understood my father's reasons for wanting to keep the old farm in the family. Understood what it really meant to come from nothing and claw your way into being successful."

"Really? What happened to him?"

Emma shrugged. "Whatever he's told my dad, my dad's kept secret."

"Fair enough," he said with a soft chuckle. "So, uh… do you maybe want to go on a date with me?"

Emma's brow furrowed. "You mean this isn't a date?"

Neal blanched. "I – uh – I wasn't sure – "

She laughed. "Hey, don't worry, I'm just kidding. But yes, I would love to go on a date with you, Neal Cassidy."

A relieved laugh escaped him. "Okay! Great! Uh… how about dinner at Tony's?"

"I think that sounds like fun. But, I have a question for you now."

"Hm?"

"Are you sure you don't want to come to New Oreleans with us? I really do think it'd be fun to have you there."

Neal smiled. "I'll think about it. Thanks. Your friend kind of caught me off guard with the question before."

Emma laughed, rolling her eyes playfully. "She was trying to set us up. She's been on me about you since you came to town. Just ignore her. She's mostly harmless."

"Takes more than an overzealous friend to scare me away," he grinned.

"If I could have everyone's attention for a moment? I have a quick announcement. First of all, I just wanted to thank everyone for coming and supporting the Fireman's Ball. Your donations will help us order better equipment and keep ourselves safe. But this night is also a night to celebrate!" Robin's voice rang out in the ballroom, to a wave of cheers. "The harvest, the first responders of Storybrooke, this Fireman's Ball has meant a lot to this town for many years. However, tonight, we have one more reason to celebrate. Sheriff Nolan informed me moments ago that the case of Baelfire Gold has been solved."

Stunned murmurs broke out among the crowd, and Neal noticed Zelena Mills looked a little incredulous at the thought.

"Baelfire has found his way back to Storybrooke himself… and is now going by the name Neal Cassidy."

Somehow, all pairs of eyes in the room found him in an instant, and it took all of Neal's courage to not immediately hide under a table, managing instead to wave weakly at the shocked crowd.

The rest of the night was a blur as people welcomed him home, offered help, expressed anger at his mother and stepfather, and all he could muster were words of thanks and a shrug when asked about what Milah could possibly have been thinking.

But despite the attention on him, he had his father. He had his new friends. He… had Emma.

"Neal…" she hummed as she dropped into a chair next to him. "Thanks for inviting me. I've really had a great time tonight."

He grinned, glad to get a break from talking to random townspeople as the ball began to wind down. "No problem Emma. I've had a great time too. And… thanks for inviting me to crash your New Orleans trip."

She giggled again. "It's not crashing if you're invited, is it? But… I should get going. My dad needs me to help him on the farm in the morning. I'll see you soon?"

"Yeah, of course. Just let me know what time is good for you for our date," he replied with a grin.

"Of course. I'll text you and let you know," she said, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek, both of them blushing a bright red when she pulled away and walked off toward her family.

Neal's hand pressed against his cheek, almost in a daze.

"Had a good time tonight, son?" his father's voice suddenly cut into his hazy mind.

"Oh - uh - Papa. Yes, this was a lot of fun. I'm sorry to blindside you with this in public."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Bae. You made this dull event much important to me."

Neal smiled softly, rising to his feet. "Thanks, Papa. It's getting late, I should probably head back to the inn."

"The inn? You don't have a place to live yet?" his father asked, sounding almost offended at the notion.

"I've been looking, but it isn't like Storybrooke is an urban sprawl. The old woman at the inn's been nice enough. Free breakfast in the morning, a comfortable bed, a view of the forest..." he shrugged. "It's not the worst place I've ever slept in."

Aiden huffed. "Well, now that I know you're my son, you'll be moving in with us as soon as possible."

Neal glanced at Belle, who was simply smiling in support of his father's idea.

"Aiden's right. We're family, we should be together. And besides, we, you two especially, have a lot to catch up on. It'll be easier to do it under the same roof," she said.

"Okay…" Neal sighed, biting his lip. "I can move in tonight, if that's okay. I don't have a lot of furniture or anything like that. Or at least get some clothes and finish moving in tomorrow."

His father and Belle exchanged a quick glance, then nodded in agreement.

His father's house wasn't what he expected. It wasn't the size - no, he expected it to be one of the largest houses in town - it was the color. The inside was surprisingly modern, although it still had a classic feeling with some of the decor. Family photos and bookshelves took up most of the room in the family room, and it was clear by some of them that his family were seasoned travelers, Neal's heart aching with the realization that he'd missed out on all of this.

In the guest room, Neal sighed and undid his tie, dropping it on his bed as he stared at his open suitcase. He was already dreading unpacking. Maybe he could just -

"Dad's talked about you a lot, you know."

He jumped, looking over at the younger brother that had suddenly appeared in the room. "Oh. Uh. Has he?"

"Yeah. He always celebrated your birthday. Even with mom and I. I always thought it was kinda weird having a birthday for a kid that wasn't there. No offense."

"None taken. I imagine it's a bit weird to have a brother that you've never met," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Especially one who was supposedly a sort of unwitting celebrity."

Gideon shrugged. "Yeah, but you've actually turned out to be a pretty cool person. It's really badass that you saved Bobby and Adam from the mines. I got lucky enough to escape the mines without calling you guys."

Neal raised a brow, giving Gideon a stern look. "You aren't going to go back into that mine after everything that's happened, are you?"

"Well not now that I know you're a firefighter!"

"C'mon kid, you shouldn't be down there at all. Those mines are closed for a reason," Neal said gently. He didn't want to step on his papa's and Belle's toes about the mines, but he didn't want to see his brother get hurt.

Gideon rolled his eyes. "You don't understand how dull this town is, you've only been here a couple of months!"

"Sure, but there's gotta be something better than going into a closed off mine. Isn't there a sport or something you could play? Band? Mathletes? Anything after school?"

"I like science. My friend and I got into a really hard after-school program with one of the local professors. I've been doing that since the school year started," Gideon explained. "But that's why I wanted to go down into the mines… to see if there were any cool rock formations down there. I thought if I found something I'd get into the program."

"But you got into the program on your own anyway," Neal said. "So I don't see a need for you to head into the mine anymore."

Gideon scuffed his toe against the carpet, before nodding reluctantly. "Alright, fine. You're right. I shouldn't go into the mine after what happened to Bobby."

Neal gave him a weak smile. "Just know I'm not trying to be boring, it's just, I've never had a brother before, and I'd rather not lose you so soon."

Gideon laughed a little. "Yeah yeah. I've never had one either."

"Tell you what. I don't have work tomorrow, so we can hang out all day if you want."

"Actually, I have plans tomorrow. But uh, thanks for not being so boring," Gideon replied with a grin and running a hand through his hair. "Maybe it won't be so bad to have a brother around here."

Neal chuckled. "I guess it's better now that you know I'm not lame, huh?"

"Gideon, come on, it's getting late. Let your brother breathe for a moment, won't you?" Belle chuckled as she entered the room, changed out of the golden dress she'd been wearing and opted for a set of pajamas. "Come on. Get changed and get ready for bed."

Gideon slumped from the room, but Belle stepped inside and closed the door behind her with a kind smile on her face. "Are you settling in okay?"

"Uh - yeah. I was just looking for my pajamas myself. Thanks again, by the way. Where's my papa?"

"He's using his spinning wheel in the basement. He just needs a bit of time to adjust to having you back. He'd been so worried about you for so many years, to have you home… it's just as overwhelming for him as it is for you so, don't take it personally," Belle said with a smile on her face, before she looked over at a photo on the bedside table. "Oh! Is this your family from New Orleans?"

"Yeah, that's my mama Eudora and my sister Tiana and I when I graduated from the fire academy."

Belle smiled. "They look lovely. Bae, your father and I were talking, and we thought it would be nice to have them up this way for Thanksgiving."

He blinked in surprise. "Really? I was planning to fly back there but… I can talk to them and see if they'd be willing to come up."

He didn't doubt for a second that they would.

"Of course. Well, I'll leave you to finish unpacking, shall I? You should get some rest yourself. There's a bathroom just down the hall on the left if you need it."

"Thank you, Belle. I really appreciate this."

She gave him another smile and left the room.

Neal exhaled heavily and grabbed his pajamas from the bottom of his suitcase, intent on getting his nightly routine finished. Once he changed into the grey checkered pants and grey top he wore, he made his way to where he thought Belle had mentioned the bathroom was, and paused.

This was not the bathroom. It was a nursery.

His nursery, judging from his name he could just make out thanks to the light of the moon, written in pretty calligraphy on the wall above the crib.

"Get lost on your way to the bathroom, dearie?"

Neal turned to his father, who had suddenly appeared beside him. "Oh - Papa… uh - yeah, sorry… I didn't mean to - "

"No, no. Don't apologize. This was your room, after all. Come on, come inside. I'll show you what your mother left for me to remember you by," Aiden said, flicking the light on and illuminating the light blue room.

Neal tried not to wince at the jab at Milah as he took in the surroundings.

Aiden leaned into the crib, pulling out two hand-knit stuffed toys, one a rabbit, the other, a wolf.

"My mothers made these for you. You loved them, and were fussy whenever you didn't have them beside you... especially at night."

Neal's eyes widened, recalling Killian jokingly saying Neal had been the fussiest baby he'd ever met. If he'd loved these toys so much, it was no wonder.

Aiden then moved over to the bookshelf, gesturing at what was left. "Most of these were given to us by Mary-Margaret and Colette, Belle's mother. Mary-Margaret was pregnant with Emma at the same time Milah was pregnant with you."

"Did - did Milah give Mrs. Nolan anything in return?"

"Not that I recall, but that was Milah. Selfish and cold to anyone who couldn't help her with her own goals."

Neal rubbed the back of his neck. "Right…"

Aiden went quiet for a moment. "Bae…"

"Hm?"

"Do you know where your mother is? I'm not asking for myself but… David has been working with the FBI for many years on your case… if you tell them where she is, we can end this whole ordeal."

"I don't know, Papa. I was raised on a houseboat, going up and down between the Carolinas. It's been almost seven years since I left. They could be in Seattle by now for all I know. I'm sorry."

Aiden sighed. "No, of course. I should have expected underhanded tactics from someone who is on the run."

"Belle says you were interested in inviting Mama and Tiana to Thanksgiving," Neal said, desperate to turn the conversation to something light.

"Oh - yes, I am. You spoke so highly of them, I thought I should meet the women who actually cared for my son and gave him the tools to find me. You don't mind, do you?"

Neal grinned. "Of course I don't mind, Papa. Mama said before I left that she was really interested in meeting you, too. She had a hunch that you weren't as bad a guy as Milah said you were. I'm just sorry it took me so long to get here."

"Don't blame yourself. Never blame yourself for what your mother did. What matters now is that you're home, and that we have time to get to know each other without her poisoning our relationship."

"I'd like that a lot, Papa."

Aiden and Neal sat in the nursery, talking until the early birds began to chirp outside. When Belle found them the next morning, Aiden was asleep in the rocking chair, Neal's head on his knees, both looking more peaceful than they had since their long ordeal began.