Part 5 : Bad new and other try.

It's just some days after that the ghost did execute their plan, succeeding in the end to contact Neal, as this one was alone. They decided to send Emma, hoping that the young woman wouldn't have been forgot by Neal.

They couldn't have been more wrong.

The day Emma arrived in front of Neal, this last one really thought for a moment that he would have a heart attack.

Because she just came from nowhere.

And maybe also because of the fact that she was shining and blue.

And she too looked like the drawing that Henry did.

For a moment, he thought he was crazy, because it was not the sort of things that could happen there, in a world without magic, especially in a town as calm as Storybrooke.

Except that she was there.

In front of him, looking at him, with a strange light in the eyes, just as nostalgia. Just as if she already knew him.

(But it wasn't possible, right ?)

She was smiling, and without knowing why, Neal became frozen.

The situation had nothing to do with normality, it was true, there was a ghost just under his eyes. But ghosts didn't exist, he was sure of that, it should even be the case in a world with magic.

(But fairies, wizards and mermaids exist, so why not ghosts ?)

So then, he says the first sentence that comes at his mind, and that everyone else would have said.

"Ghosts don't exist."

Just in order to say to himself that what he was seeing was false.

The unknown person just smiled even more.

"You really think that Neal ?"

He shivered.

"Damn, he said, you are all scaring at knowing my name..."

He didn't see that Emma just shivered and she became pale by hearing him.

Shit.

That would be more complicated than they predicted.

§§§§

"And you, who are you ?

- I am Emma Swan."

It did have an echo in him, strangely. He didn't remember, at least, not what mattered, but only what they told him.

Emma Swan.

The dead one.

The one who killed herself as she couldn't stand being far from her son.

(It was more than that, but he didn't know that.)

"You're Henry's mother."

Emma thought that she could have cried.

Neal didn't remember her, and just saw her as Henry's mother, who she was.

There was a time where you saw me in another way.

"Exact. What do you know about me ?

- You died. You killed yourself, this is what they told me.

- You know nothing else ?"

Emma' smile suddenly disappeared.

And if, in Neal's mind, the word Tallahassee appeared for a moment, it didn't seem to be that important in this instant.

Neal looked at her more carefully, thinking she was strange, an odd feeling beginning to come in him.

"You know me.

Emma started, and a painful smile came on her face.

"Of course I know you… Baelfire."

Maybe it would prove to Neal that the world in which he was living wasn't that normal.

And that it would remind him of where he was coming, if he ever forgot it.

The former Lost Boy stopped.

Ok… maybe he had things to consider.

"How… how do you… how do you know my name ?"

Emma sighed and rolled her eyes. Then she decided to be more direct.

"What Henry told you is true. The curse and the other things.

- Why should I believe you ?

Emma almost burst into laugh. This situation was absurd, surrealistic.

Really ? He was the one who didn't believe her this time, who didn't trust her ? The Savior would have never thought that the roles could have been that reversed.

"Because even though you forgot it, you and me, we know each other. Because you're Henry's father."

Just as during the first revelation in New York, Neal's face showed a great surprise. Except that the situation was more tragic this time. And apparently, Neal couldn't believe it.

Emma felt tired, really tired, and she was beginning to understand what Henry lived when he tried to convince people about the existence of magic.

Neal would believe her, in the end, it would come with time, she was sure of it.

How many time, she didn't know.

Neal was still looking at her, with incredulity, and when a client entered in the shop, he asked her to go.

The ghost vanished.

When she appeared in front of the other, she wasn't crying. Her face was dark, and sad, and she immediately went in the direction of Regina. This one embraced her in her arms, seeing that something was wrong.

The other saw it also.

No one understood why Emma Swan began to laugh, with no apparent reason.

"I was wrong, she said, not any more in Regina's arms. Apparently, the curse did more ravages than we thought. Neal… doesn't remember me any more."

They all grimaced, realizing that they just lost one of their assets, and Regina decided to take Emma with her to calm her, this last one beginning to tremble, and to laugh in a hysterical way.

As they were alone, the former queen succeeded to calm the other woman. Emma was able now to talk, still laughing and crying at the same time.

"He forgot me Regina, he doesn't remember me any more. He refuses to trust me, and I can't believe I'm saying these words. And you know what ? The funniest thing in this story, is that he probably remembers Hook, as he remembers everything of the magic and the Enchanted Forest !"

Regina waited for an instant.

"I'm sorry."

Then, she kissed her, allowing finally to Emma to calm, still embracing her in her arms.

The other were thinking about what they could do now, in fact, Snow was the one to find the first an idea.

"There is someone we could send there to talk with Neal.

- Who ? Her husband asked her. He doesn't remember Emma, Regina doesn't know him enough to be able to talk with him. You and me, we would have difficulties too, and I don't think that send Zelena would be a good idea."

The former witch rolled her eyes, but said nothing. Snow smiled, even though she still had doubts about her idea.

"You forgot someone in your list", she said, amused, looking at someone in particular.

The two other turned their head in the person in question, that is to say Hook. This last one raised an eyebrow, not convinced. Then, he decided to talk, by seeing that they seriously were thinking about the possibility to do that.

"Are you serious ? I think it would be the worst idea we could find.

- Not really if you think about it two minutes.

- I don't really want to think about it. I doubt that he wants to talk to me, especially if he remembers me.

- You're the only person who can convince him that magic exists.

- The only thing that can happen, is that he will be happy that I am dead, the pirate whispered with sadness."

Snow and Charming looked at each other, a little surprised.

"Tell-me, David said to the pirate, how was your relationship bad ? I mean, before you went on the good side ?

He chose this word carefully, of course, and it didn't surprise him that the pirate didn't answer.

"Well… things didn't end well in Neverland…

- Clearly, he hates you, Zelena said with no tact.

- In a way, it's that.

- You're the only person that can and will know how to talk with him.

- You really think that Snow ?

- Of course ! You know him, and he knows you, and the fact is that it will work better than with Emma, as you know him more than she does. I am sure it will work.

- What if it doesn't ?

- We will find something else then."

The pirate nodded his head. They couldn't accept to loose hope, not with all the things in the balance.