A/N: Hello everyone! Here's the next chapter and its one I have been dying to write. I was going to add more to this chapter but it got too long so it'll have to be in the next chapter. To Fanfic fan: don't worry Neal will be meeting Belle very soon! Not the next chapter but the chapter after that! And she's got quite a word for Baelfire!

Emma stepped in through the doorway Monday afternoon. Henry had gotten home just an hour so before and was dutifully sitting at the kitchen table, his homework books out and simultaneously snacking of a bag of chips.

Emma had asked David if he could handle the duties for the rest of the evening. She had promised Neal that she would tell Henry today and she didn't want it to be just before he was going to bed. David agreed with no problem, Emma was beginning to realize that even though she was almost thirty years old, she had her father wrapped around her thumb like she was five. It was no doubt because in her father's mind she was still a baby but it still worked well in her favor. He asked the reason of course and she responded that it was personal problems. Somehow he knew that personal problems meant Neal and let it be.

Telling Neal she had lied was hard enough but telling Henry was going to be even worse. Why did she ever put herself in this situation?

Henry looked up from the table, most likely expecting his grandmother who got home usually around this time, but his face lit up in pleasant surprise at seeing her. "Mom!" He hopped off the chair and ran over to hug her.

Despite her nerves, Emma automatically smiled as Henry's arms embraced her.

"Hey Henry." She hugged him tightly in return. Emma wasn't sure when Henry had switched from calling her Emma to calling her Mom but she realized she liked it a lot.

Still crouched to be at his level, she held onto his shoulders affectionately. "How was school?"

Henry shrugged. "It was alright."

"Just alright? Nothing exciting?"

Henry scrunched his face up and shook his head. "Not really. But everyone was talking about Neal."

Emma's eyes widened slightly and she swallowed thickly. "Oh? What were they saying?"

"A lot of them didn't know Mr. Gold even had a son. And they think its cool that there's someone new in Storybrooke." Henry said and then he smiled. "I told them he was a nice guy."

Emma smiled softly. "You really like Neal, don't you?"

Henry nodded with a bright smile. "Neal is great!"

Emma let out a soft sigh and looked into Henry's loving brown eyes. She knew there was no way he'd hate Neal after he learned the truth but he might hate her. "Good." She murmured quietly, casting a small smile at him and then rising up to her feet.

Henry's brow furrowed as he looked up at her. "Why are you home early?"

Emma sighed and slipped her hand onto his shoulder. "I needed to talk you."

Henry frowned, noting the serious tone in her voice. "About what?"

Emma led him over to the couch and gently guided him to sit down and then sat down next to him, biting her lip softly as she reached out to take his hand in hers. She inhaled deeply, closing her eyes for a moment, preparing herself and then opened them again to look at Henry.

"It's about your dad." Emma admitted quietly and Henry's eyes widened and he cocked his head.

"My dad?" Emma hadn't spoken about his dad since that time with Hansel and Gretel. But Henry didn't know what else she could say about him that she hadn't already told him.

Emma lightly caressed the back of his hand with her thumb, hoping the comforting gesture would soften the blow. She looked straight into his eyes and confessed. "He's alive, Henry."

"What?" Henry asked in a low whisper and she could see the confusion and shock in his eyes. "My dad's alive? But...you said he died in a fire..."

Emma frowned as she squeezed his hands gently. "I know what I said...but it wasn't the truth."

Henry looked taken a back, his eyes wide and filled with all sorts of emotions.

"Oh Henry..." She whispered and reached out to gently cup his cheek and surprisingly he didn't try to pull away, he only stared at her in stunned silence. "I am so sorry, kid. I just didn't want you to know who he really was but that was wrong of me and thats why I'm telling you now."

Henry continued to stare at her and he visibly swallowed before asking, "Who is he?"

Emma's lips twitched slightly and she gently ran her thumb over his cheek and she let out a deep sigh. Here goes nothing, she thought. "Henry...your father is here in Storybrooke."

She didn't think it was possible for Henry's eyes to grow wider but they did and she could see the cogs turning in his brain as he ran through the possibilities. And he might have figured it out because a tiny gasp escaped his lips just as she said it. "It's Neal. Henry, Neal is your dad."

Henry's sat there wide eyed and slack jawed and he was so still Emma almost thought he went into physical shock. Her brow pressed together and she slipped her hand onto his shoulder and gave it a nice squeeze, "Henry?"

His eyes flickered to hers and his jaw snapped together and he swallowed again and when he spoke, his voice broke. "Neal's my dad?"

Emma nodded slowly, giving him a half smile. "Yeah he is."

"Really?" Henry's voice shot up and his eyes grew moist and shiny with unshed tears.

"Really." Emma nodded again and swallowed softly. "I know I lied to you before and I'm sorry but I am not lying to you now. Neal is your father."

Henry said nothing and Emma couldn't remember the last time he was this quiet. Not that she blamed him of course, she certainly remembered what it felt like to learn the truth about your parents.

But his silence did unnerve her and he wasn't even looking at her anymore, he was staring down at his lap but even still she could see the frown on his face.

"Henry?" She prompted him in concern and slowly Henry lifted his head and the hurt in his eyes struck deep into her heart.

"Why did you lie?" He whispered.

Emma dropped her head for a moment, feeling completely ashamed of herself for doing so. She let out a resigned sigh before looking back up to him. "I lied because I didn't think Neal was a good person."

Henry's brow pressed together in confusion. "But he is!"

Emma pressed her lips together. "Now he is Henry but back then..." She sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. "You know what happened to me right? When I was younger."

Henry nodded slightly. "You went to jail. And that's where you had me."

"Right." Emma nodded. "But I went to jail for a crime I did not commit. Henry..." She sighed again, not wanting to tell him the truth but knowing she had to. "Neal and I...we did bad things. We were thieves." Henry's eyes widened and it physically pained her to have to go on. "Before Neal and I met he stole some really expensive watches. And we were going to take the money from those watches and start a new life together which meant no more stealing or anything. But when I was supposed to meet him, after he said he was going to sell the watches, the police showed up and told me that Neal had tipped them off and I was wearing one of the watches so I was found guilty and went to jail."

The tears in Henry's eyes returned and looked like they could spill over his cheeks at any second and Emma knew what he was thinking. It was exactly what Emma had thought of Neal all these years.

Emma inched closer to Henry and reached out to take his hands in hers, squeezing them as she looked into his eyes. "But that was just my side of the story, Henry. Neal told me his and there is so much more to the story than I ever realized. Henry, your dad is not a bad guy. He's made some mistakes but so have I. He left me, that much is true but he did it for a reason."

"What reason?" Henry asked quietly, his eyes imploring hers curiously, desperate to know the whole truth about his father.

"So I could come here to Storybrooke and break the curse."

Henry's eyes widened as he gaped at her for a long moment. "He knew about the curse?"

Emma smiled tightly. "August told him."

"Pinocchio?"

Emma nodded in confirmation. "August found Neal and told him that he couldn't stay with me because he would have held me back from my destiny as the savior. Neal believed him because-"

"Because he's Rumplestiltskin's son." Henry realized and Emma's lips twitched in a slight smile as she nodded.

Henry frowned, furrowing his brow. "But you're angry with him."

Emma let out a soft sigh. "Yes. He hurt me, Henry. No matter what the reason he did it for, knowing he left me hurt more than anything."

"You loved him." Henry whispered in realization and Emma looked down at her lap and whispered in return, "Yeah." She sniffed and looked back up at Henry, reaching out to touch the side of his face gently. "But just because I'm mad at him, doesn't mean you have to be. He didn't know about you Henry and if he did, he never would have left."

Henry's bottom lip stuck out in a slight pout and wobbled slightly and a single tear rolled down his cheek as he nodded. Emma quickly wiped the tear away with her thumb and smiled softly. "Think of him as the guy you spent all day with yesterday because that's the guy he is now, alright?"

Henry nodded again and she implored his eyes. "Do you forgive me? For lying?"

Henry bit down on his lip softly and eyed her for a moment before a small smile crossed his lips and he nodded. "I forgive you."

Emma sighed in relief and reached forward, taking him into her arms and holding him tightly against her. She pressed a few light kisses to the side of his head and then pulled back a minute later to smile down at him.

Henry casted a half smile back at her and she was reminded so much of Neal.

Henry no doubt had a lot of thoughts running through his mind and still so many questions. And she expected that but after he cleared his throat and wiped any remained moisture off his cheeks he looked up at her and asked, "Can I go see him?"

Emma lifted her brow in surprise. She figured Henry would want to talk to Neal but she didn't think it'd be that fast but she couldn't deny him. "Yeah, of course you can. Do you want me to come with you?"

Henry thought about it for a moment and then shook his head. "No I want to see him alone."

"Okay." She nodded and watched him as he got off the couch and started to walk over to the door.

"Hey, wait a minute kid." Emma laughed quietly as she stood up and looked over to him. "Do you even know where he is?"

"He's at Granny's." Henry answered, reaching for his backpack.

"Which room?" Emma asked, raising her brow pointedly.

Henry blinked. "Uh..."

"That's what I thought." Emma chuckled and walked over to him. "He's in room ten and don't stay out too late okay? Call me if you need a ride home or ask Neal to take you."

Henry nodded as he shifted his backpack onto his back. "Okay I will."

Emma smiled softly and reached out to affectionately rub his head. "Be good, okay?"

Henry gave her a look and she smirked before opening the door and guiding him out. "Alright now go."

Henry stepped out into the hallway and paused briefly just to look over his shoulder and smile at Emma. "Thank you for telling me."

Emma smiled softly back at him. "Of course."

Henry stared at her a moment longer and then turned to jog down the stairs.

Neal's day had been boring to say the least. He didn't feel like venturing out into Storybrooke because he didn't feel like dealing with the stares. Or the possibility that he'd run into his father.

So when he got up that morning he took a shower and got dressed and went down to the lobby to discuss payment with Granny. Thankfully she didn't ask for too much, certainly a lot less than what he paid for rent in the city. They ended up talking for a little while after that and Neal found her to be just as kind as Ruby. She seemed to be wary at first of him but she soon warmed up and Neal was grateful for that. But it wasn't too long after that Granny excused herself to go help Ruby out at the diner and Neal was once again left alone.

Since he didn't have anything to eat however he did step out and find the local convenience store just to pick up some things to eat for the next several days. And he took the items back to his room and stayed there for the rest of the day. Though he had slept pretty well since he got to Storybrooke he found himself taking a brief nap due to boredom. But he did wake up feeling refreshed and had wasted a little bit of time.

It was nearing four thirty and he was sitting at the desk in his room just looking out the window when he heard a frantic knock at his door.

His eyes widened as he whipped his head to look at the door. He felt his heart drop into his stomach as he thought about the possibility that it could be his father. He was not ready to talk to him again, if he was going to stay here for the next two weeks he knew he'd run into him again sometime but he did not that day to be today.

The knock sounded again and he let out a breath as he slowly walked over to the door and paused with his hand on the doorknob. He closed his eyes for a moment, preparing himself for who would be on the other side and then pulled the door open.

He immediately relaxed when he saw Henry standing outside his door. He smiled at the boy but then soon realized that Henry looked incredibly anxious and the smile dropped. Neal suddenly remembered the promise Emma had made him, that she'd tell Henry the truth about him today and Neal's heart dropped again. Henry looked less than thrilled and that scared him.

"Hey Henry." He greeted calmly. "What can I do for you, kid?"

Henry's eyes widened slightly at the use of the name and he swallowed softly. "Can I come in?"

"Sure, of course." Neal stepped aside, eyeing Henry carefully as he walked into the room and Neal slowly closed the door behind him before turning to face him, his fingers twitching at his sides.

Henry stopped in the middle of the room and just stared at him and Neal could see Henry's breathing was more heavy than usual. "Is it true?" Henry asked, looking up at him. He paused for a brief moment and then continued more softly, "Are you my dad?"

Neal felt all his breath leave him at once and his heart raced in his chest. Neal swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat and nodded. "Yes Henry, its true."

A soft gasp escaped Henry's lips and tears instantly sprung up in his eyes and Neal looked down, avoiding Henry's gaze. "Listen Henry-"

But before he could continue, Henry dropped his bag to the ground with a loud thud and Neal looked up and only had a second to react as Henry came barreling toward him. Neal fell onto his knees and Henry rushed into his open arms, throwing his arms around Neal's neck and burying his head into his shoulder.

Neal let out a breath as his arms tightened around his son and pulled him tighter, pulled him closer and he closed his eyes tightly, reveling in the feeling of his son's embrace.

He soon felt Henry shaking in his arms and his heart leapt into his throat. He tightened his arms even further and started to rub Henry' back soothingly, whispering comforting words against his ear.

Neal only pulled away slightly, just breaking the hug, when he felt warm tears against the skin of his neck. He held onto Henry's shoulders and looked into his eyes, smiling warmly. Henry smiled back as a few tears trickled down his cheeks. At the sight of his son with tears in his eyes, but smiling and looking back at him with such love, Neal couldn't help but get a little chocked up himself.

"You alright, kid?" He asked past the tightness in his throat as he reached up to gently wipe away Henry's tears with his knuckles.

Henry nodded quickly and an even brighter smile lit up his face. "I just can't believe you're my dad."

Neal smiled at him. "Well believe it."

Henry sucked in a shuddering breath and, more hesitantly this time, leaned in to hug him again. Neal moved one hand to the back of Henry's head and the other rested on his back as he held him close.

Then Henry pulled away from him, awkwardly shuffling and wiping at his tear stained cheeks. Neal smiled slightly as he watched him, realizing this was new to them both.

Neal let out a breath as he rose to his feet and Henry looked up at him curiously. Neal shot him a charming half smile and motioned over to the bed. Neal took a seat on the edge of the bed and Henry stared at him quietly before Neal smiled encouragingly and patted the seat beside him. A small smile tugged at Henry's lips and he hurried over to hop on the bed beside Neal, looking up at him.

"So..." Neal let out a sigh as he gazed down at Henry. "What did Emma tell you...about me?"

The smile on Henry's face dropped a bit and he looked up at Neal hesitantly. "She said...that you left her."

Neal dropped his head with a resigned sigh and rubbed his thighs uncomfortably. "Yes I did but I've regretted it ever since. It was the worst mistake of my life and if I could go back in time and change it I would." He glanced sideways at Henry and looked him seriously in the eye. "And if I had known about you I never would have left at all."

Henry swallowed and nodded, his lips turning upward. "I believe you."

Neal's brow shot up. "You do?"

Henry's smile brightened and he nodded again. "Yes. Emma told me that you're not a bad guy. That I should think of you as the guy who spent time with me yesterday and not the stories she told me about your past."

As if Neal couldn't be any more surprised by Emma she turns around and pulls this. He couldn't keep the smile off his lips or suppress the fluttering of his heart. "She said that?"

Henry nodded with a grin. "And we had a lot of fun yesterday...and now that I know the truth about you it makes it even better."

Neal felt like his heart would actually explode right out of his chest. "That's good to know." He reached out hesitantly to slip his arm around Henry's shoulder and pull him closer. "I had fun too."

Henry beamed up at him and leaned into his side and tilted his head to look up at him. "I'm so glad you're alive."

Neal's breath caught in his chest at that simple but powerful statement. No one had ever said anything like that to him especially not since he came to this land. He knew Emma loved him way back when and they had even expressed that love many times but those words held something more.

At Neal's stunned silence, Henry continued quietly, fiddling with his fingers in his lap. "I've always wanted a father. And Gramps is great but...he's not my dad."

Neal suddenly furrowed his brow and frowned as he looked down at Henry. "You never had a father? Emma said you were adopted..."

"I was." Henry said. "But my mom was not married or anything." He shrugged. "The closest thing I ever had was Archie and he's just my therapist."

"Therapist?" Neal questioned in concern.

Henry smiled up at him sheepishly and brought his shoulders to his ears. "Before the curse broke I had this book with everyone's stories in it and I figured the curse out. But my mom was trying to convince me that it wasn't true."

"Why?"

Henry sighed heavily. "She was the one who casted it so she didn't want it broken. But I knew it had to be broken so thats why I went to find Emma."

Neal huffed. "Yeah she told me about that." He smirked. "How you left town on your own, stealing your teacher's credit card to go to Boston."

Henry smiled sheepishly. "My mom wouldn't have let me go and the curse had to be broken."

Neal laughed and ruffled Henry's hair. "You've got guts kid, thats all I have to say."

Henry grinned up at him and Neal pulled him against his side, giving his shoulder a light squeeze. "Well then, I'm glad I get to be your dad."

Henry looked up at him and his eyes sparkled once again with unshed tears and Neal smiled warmly down at him.

"So, what do you say to having some dinner?"

Henry's face lit up. "I'd love that!"

"Yeah?" Neal grinned. "Me too. Granny's?"

Henry nodded. "Sure!"

Neal released Henry and stood up and gave him a smile as he motioned his head to the door. Henry grinned as he hopped off the bed and walked over to Neal and father and son walked out together, Neal's arm lightly wrapped around his son's back.