Part 3 : Things move.
It would have been wrong to say that Neal was getting bored in town, but the thing is that except his work in his father's shop and the life with his family, he hadn't many thing to do.
During his free time, he was at home, or in the library, where his step-mother, Belle, worked, to see her or to read. He wasn't annoyed, but since some time, he had the impression that nothing happened.
Which was already true, but without knowing why, he felt like it was worst now. So, with no reason, he came to the psychiatric hospital, in which Ruby came some time to see a boy named Henry.
Boy that was now a young man, almost twenty years now.
Neal didn't know the patients that were on this place ; but he was taken by a strange will, to go to see this kid. Well, not him exactly, not right now, as he seemed to be perturbed.
Apparently, according to Ruby, the young man was almost mute since his mother died. His biological mother, as his adoptive mother, Fiona, was still alive.
"How did she die ? Asked Neal.
- She committed suicide, as she was forbidden to see her son. But I do think that there is something wrong in this story.
- What do you mean ?
- I think that the mayor did something in it, in which way, I don't know, but all of that isn't clear."
Neal really appreciated Ruby, as her girlfriend, and knew her since years, at least, that was what he remembered. She was one of his best friends, and he was really happy to know her.
He frowned.
"Why did I never heard about this story ? His friend shrugged.
- I guess you were out of town at that moment. You were for a time, after all. Neal nodded.
- Maybe you're right."
He was thinking about that, as he was visiting the place.
Henry was sitting on a chair, and as usually since a long time, he was drawing.
From his former live, Neal remembered many things, whose magic. And the Enchanted Forest.
So, as he saw Henry draw goodly his father version Dark One, he was troubled. But he said to himself that it just be a coincidence. The drawing was pretty good, and by looking around Henry, he saw some other representing the inhabitants of Storybrooke version fairy tales.
There was Ruby, that Neal recognized as being Little Red Riding Hood. And other characters Neal didn't identify, a young blond woman, another, brunette. A green skin woman. And a couple of two people with a child.
What Neal didn't know, is that the faces of all these people haunted the nights and the nightmares of Henry since almost six years, stopping him from sleeping. By seeing the drawing representing Hook, the former Lost Boy couldn't help but shiver, some bad memories coming at the surface.
It is just a coincidence, Henry can't know the existence of magic.
Yes, but according to Ruby, the young man was persuaded that there was a curse in town, cast by his adoptive mother. He tried to reason himself, that couldn't be true, his father assured him that there was no magic in this world.
This day, Neal didn't meet Henry, but rapidly came back to home, a little troubled.
The next day, without saying something to anyone, he came back again to see him, decided to meet Henry. He was still drawing, again, as if he couldn't do anything else, which was more or less the case. He was only allowed to do it, he couldn't write, or leave and he could be taken by annoying too.
"Hello Henry."
The young adult (that he was since not much time) started and looked at Neal with an intense surprise, just as if he didn't really believe to his presence.
It seems he saw a ghost.
Some seconds after, Henry was able to talk.
"Dad ?
- Sorry kid, Neal, immediately answered, but you're wrong."
Henry was still immobile, unable to say anything. His father was alive, how and why, he didn't know. But the thing is that yes, his father was in front of him.
As a sudden joy invaded him, the former Author realized that things couldn't be that simple. His father forgot him.
His father was alive, but he forgot him.
"No, Henry finally replied with coldness, I know who I am, and what I know, is that that you're my dad.
- Listen Henry, I...
- They told you that I was weird, right ? That I was crazy, always talking about magic and curse ? All of that is true Neal." (It was better that he didn't call him dad, as the other didn't believe it.)
The other get troubled, as the young man knew his name, but he tried to reassure himself by saying to himself that he just knew him for another reason.
So then explain me why, for a second,, the fact that he called you dad seemed to be so natural, his conscience whistled to him.
He turned his head, trying to get rid of these thoughts, as Henry was looking at him ironically, a little tired to be forced to still explain the same thing again and again to people.
"Magic does exist, it's real, even in this world, and..."
He then stopped, and turned his head.
"I think that the Black Fairy will soon have won, he whispered. Because I can't continue fighting ; I am alone against the world, and it refuses to listen to me.
- Henry, Neal said, touched by his distress, magic doesn't exist. Not in this world, in fact."
He immediately knew he shouldn't have said that, by seeing Henry's look change.
"You remember what you lived in the Enchanted Forest, he deduced.
- How do you know that ?
- So, you recognize that magic exists ?
- Yes."
The Author smiled. It was better than what he succeeded to do with the others.
"I will prove you, Henry said to his father, decided to go. I will show you that magic exists there too, and that there is a curse here.
- We will see that."
And for the first time since years, Henry Mills hoped again.
§§§§
This conversation had been both strange and instructive. Some hours later, Neal was at his father's shop, decided to talk with him.
They never talked about their life in the fairy tales world. He didn't really remember very well about the way how his father came there, but he knew that there was no magic.
But the fact is that yes, what Henry told him troubled him deeply, and he doubted that he was crazy. After all, his discourse had been rational and sensed, and if they had been in a world with magic, it wouldn't have been crazy.
The only thing that stopped him from believing it was the certitude that magic couldn't be present in this world. It's the reason why him and his father are there, and despite all his certitudes, Neal begins to ask questions to himself.
His father's answers were vague and not precise, not satisfying, and there Gold began to have doubts.
Neal saw Henry.
And worst, Henry saw it.
It wouldn't lead to something good for the Dark One…
His decision was soon taken. He should have said it to Fiona, because even though Neal didn't remember, do nothing would signify risk the destruction of the curse.
He decided to shut up.
It was better, for him and the other.
He had to fix his failure.
(He never forgot what he saw six years ago, Emma Swan's dead body, on the ground.
And Henry's horror when he learned it.)
He wasn't the responsible of this mess, but he did have part to it.
He couldn't act, wasn't able to, and didn't have the right. His mother would know that if he tried something, she was observing him he knew it.
Doing nothing didn't mean not doing everything so Neal wouldn't be seen by Fiona.
(He wouldn't say the truth about magic and the curse.
But he wouldn't tell him it was false.)