Chapter 5: Drinks and Conversation
Tamara and Emma both stirred their glasses, both nervous about being around each other.
"So when did you find out about Neal," Emma asked being the first one to break the silence.
"Uh, just this morning, you?"
"Yesterday morning after I chased him down."
"And you didn't know who he was when you two were together?"
"Not a clue."
"Did he know about you?"
"As he put it, if he had he wouldn't have gone near me."
Tamara looked at Emma not with hatred but with a genuine sense of curiosity, "But you're from the same world."
Emma looked at Tamara as well. "Yeah," she replied.
"How is that even possible? It doesn't make any sense."
Emma looked at her drink, "I've been asking myself the same question."
Emma avoided telling Tamara about the possibility that it could've been fate or destiny. She was barely starting to get to know the woman and the last thing she needed was for her to freak out over some kind of grand cosmic design, give the woman a reason to doubt her relationship with Neal when she seemed to be struggling with things all ready.
"Look," said Emma. "I didn't come to cause trouble for you or Neal. I came here with a job. I had no idea that the son I would be looking for was Neal. If I had I would've found a way to break off the deal I made with his father."
"You don't sound pleased about that last part."
"Making deals with Rump-," Emma looked around. It was slightly crowded despite the far table that she and Tamara occupied for privacy, "with Gold, is something you don't do lightly. In fact you do what you can to avoid it. I made the deal with him to help out a friend and if you back out the consequences can get messy."
"Guess that makes a little sense as to why Neal never talks about him. And Henry, why bring him?"
Emma knew this question was going to come up one way or another. The two women might have felt slightly threatened but it was best to get most of everything out in the open.
"Things back home are…complicated. I trust his grandparents but I wasn't going to leave Henry alone and make it easy for his adoptive mother to get him back."
"So all of this was just by chance, you didn't plan any of it?"
"No I didn't."
Tamara looked at Emma and truly believed in her sincerity. "Okay," she said with a smile.
Neal poked his head out the window. "Hey Henry, it's getting cold out why don't you say we call it a night okay?"
Henry nodded and made his way inside.
"Henry, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"You're mom; she said that you were adopted. How did you find Emma?"
"I found her living in Boston a year ago. I showed up at her apartment and told her I was her son." Henry smiled. "You should've seen the look on her face. She was kind freaking out."
"When did you know she was your mom?"
"I guess I kind of always knew," Henry replied. "None of the kids I knew ever moved up grade levels. They always stayed at the same one. It never seemed to bother them for some reason. When I moved to the fourth grade I was placed in Mary Margaret's class, grandma's. She gave me this book," he said placing the book on his lap, "and everything just started to make sense. I stole her credit card and looked her up on the internet."
"You stole her credit card?" Henry only smiled, "Well I guess that's one thing that got passed down from us. Sorry about that Henry."
Henry shrugged. "I didn't just get it from you and mom. Grandma used to steal too."
"Snow White and stealing," Neal said not really believing, "Why doesn't that seem to mix?"
"Look I'll show you."
Henry began flipping the pages and showed Neal the stories in his book.
"Hold up a second," Neal said as he turned forward a few pages.
On the page was Charming holding baby Emma wrapped in her blanket.
"Emma is in here?"
"Of course she is. Mom burned the originals but I guess when the Pinocchio story got put in here whoever did it also replaced the story."
Neal continued to stare at the picture.
"So how did you and Neal meet?" Emma asked her trying her best to seem interested in her.
"I was putting on a show, nothing big, nothing mainstream. It was just a few paintings and photographs. My boss thought my stuff was finally ready to show to the public so it was kind of my first break. Neal was one of the waiters, he was only doing the job temporarily till he found something more permanent but somehow we just hit it off. How did the two of you meet?"
"Before I answer that how much do you know about his past? I don't mean his other worldly past I mean the one he has here."
"There's not much I can tell you I'm afraid. Neal told me that things were messed up but he never talked about it. I knew he was running from something but he never told me what. And he never told me about you."
"And yet you two managed to fall in love?"
Tamara smiled, "I know, crazy right?"
"I've dealt with crazier trust me." Emma sighed. Tamara had been honest with her now it was her turn. She did avoid eye contact though. "I was seventeen when I met Neal. I actually stole his car," she said not mentioning that Neal had stolen the car before her. "Things just sort of took off from there. It was young love, an infatuation. That was it. What we had wasn't real."
"It must have been real some way. You did have a son with him."
Emma shrugged, "Or sometimes those things just happen."
Tamara studied Emma, "Do you really believe that?"
Emma looked at Tamara as well. "I grew up in this world but I wasn't born here. I've seen the world where I'm from. I've seen magic so I don't know what I believe in anymore."
Tamara laughed.
"What," Emma asked.
"It's strange how you can talk about different worlds and magic as if it's the easiest thing in the world."
"It didn't used to be," Emma answered.
"What changed your mind?"
"Henry, some of the things I've seen. Me."
Tamara only nodded.
"Look," said Emma, "I'm just going to put it out there: I'm not a threat to you or Neal. I've done pretty well without him for eleven years. I told him that Henry and I could go back to Storybrooke and that we could go on with our lives but Neal wants to spend time with Henry and Henry wants to spend time with him. If Henry wants a relationship with his dad I'm not going to stand in the way of that."
"And I wouldn't want to stand in the way of that either," said Tamara, "but just so there's no misunderstanding. I do love Neal and I am marrying him. Just because you're here doesn't change that."
"I don't want it to. What Neal put me through- what I know now, I can't forgive him."
Tamara watched Emma, for the first time feeling a little sympathy toward her. "He left you pretty damaged didn't he?"
It was hard for Tamara to admit that. She had never known Neal's past. She had never known the kind of man he was before they met.
Emma didn't look at Tamara, she couldn't. She took a drink and welcomed the burning sensation as it made her way down her throat.
"You have no idea," she said as she placed the glass back on the table.
"Neal, can I ask you some questions now?"
"Sure Henry, ask whatever you'd like."
"You're really Baelfire?"
Neal took a deep breath. This was one aspect of his life he and Henry hadn't had a chance to talk about yet.
"Yeah, I am."
"So that would make Mr. Gold my other grandpa." Neal nodded. "How exactly does that work? Gold is like over three hundred years old."
Neal let out a small laugh, "That's a complicated story. The easiest version is that this wasn't the first world I came to. There were other realms and on occasion time works differently."
"And you've been running this whole time?"
"Pretty much."
"Why did you want to get away from your father? Is it because he's a bad man?"
"What makes you think he's bad?"
"I've seen the way he treats other people. He's never hurt me but he's threatened mom and he hurts other people."
"You know he wasn't always a bad man Henry. There was a time when I actually did like him, before the magic, before the power. That's what corrupted him."
"But it's been over a long time."
"There's no time limit on these kinds of things Henry. Either time heals you or it doesn't."
"Do you think you'll be able to forgive him now that he's back?"
"No Henry, I'm not sure that I will."