Disclaimer: I Don't Own Once Upon A Time

A/N: Thanks to those who followed, faved, and alerted. I hope you like it. :)

Neal woke up on an odd cushy surface. As he stretched his arms he was surprised his hand wasn't hitting the ceiling of his car, his feet weren't hitting the door. He could move his whole body without hitting a thing. That was different since he was used to sleeping in his car. As he rubbed his eyes and woke up he took in his surroundings and saw an expertly carved coffee table a lamp, and an old TV. Then he started to remember everything. How he met this cute beautiful car thief Emma and helped her steal a car. How thought maybe something could happen between them. And then that went down the drain when he reunited with August. He met him in a foster home. He found himself in a foster home after being discovered crashing into a fence in a nice suburban home.

He thought everything would somehow be better in the land without magic, but this place was much crueler. They immediately dismissed him and threw him away, he was used to it. He was a constant traveler used to traveling from land to land. He knew how to figuring himself out around a brand new culture.

His thoughts were interrupted by the smell of burning smoke and then the sound of the fire alarm.

"August!"

He heard Emma's voice yell.

He got up to see Emma blowing the fire extinguisher on the stove.

Then August ran out wearing boxer short and white t-shirt. Then he asked, "Emma what were you thinking?"

"I was thinking it might be nice for me to cook breakfast for once." Emma defended.

August smiled and said, "You could have just stuck with cereal?"

Emma said defeated, "I know I suck."

Then he grabbed her in his arms and said, "No, no, no, Emma you do not suck. Do you hear me?"

He then he pulled her blonde messy strand out if her face and behind her ear.

Then he kissed her on her forehead.

Neal felt like he intruded on such a private moment. But he felt like it would be even more awkward if he continued to stand there and stare.

"You didn't do all of this for little ol me did you?" Neal asked.

Emma and August parted from their embrace and then she looked at him serious with her hands firmly placed on her hips.

"Don't flatter yourself, Romeo."

"I don't know. I think nearly burning the kitchen down is the highest form of flattery." Neal said as he grabbed a piece of un-burnt egg.

"Not bad." He commented as he smiled smugly.

"Yeah, you got to be kidding me." Emma said.

"I think I found the only good one in the batch. I'm kind of lucky like that." He said smiling at her she smiled right back at him entertained.

Then August said, "Well that clenches it then. We're going out for breakfast."

"No, August we don't have to, we can just eat cereal. It's not a big deal." Emma said uneasy.

"It's ok Emma we're still celebrating being reunited with our long lost friend." August said chipper.

Emma bit her lip nervously.

"What is it?" August asked trying to search Emma's face.

"You're not thinking of going to the Diner are you?" She asked scared.

"Why wouldn't I? It's close and you have an employee discount." August said hesitant.

Emma's head sunk low.

"What's going on Emma?" August asked in his strong authoritative voice.

"I got fired." She blurted out not looking August in the eye.

"What?"

"Yeah, some girl spilled coffee on me so I told her where she could stick it."

Neal laughed. Then August glared at him. He covered up his laughter with a cough.

Then August looked at Emma and said, "It's ok Ems. I didn't want you to be working in the first. I can take care of us."

"Really? August I'm not a little girl anymore. I can pull my own weight." Emma said irritated.

"You can pull your weight by finishing school and going to college. I don't want you to worry about money." August urged.

"It's not the money I'm worried about, it's you. You've given up your life for me. How come you never went to college? How come you just got your GED? I'll tell you why because you have been too busy taking care of me. You deserve to have your own life too. You deserve to have your own things that you love. You deserve to not have to sale your motorcycle." Emma pleaded with urgency.

"Oh, Emma, the motorcycle doesn't matter. You're the only thing that matters to me." August said full of intent.

Then Neal said, "I hate to break this intense moment, well I really would like to, it's awkward. But how about breakfast? I'm buying. I know this great place not too far off, and I'm pretty sure Emma didn't work at it. If she did I would have soooo noticed her."

"Well, then let's get going." August said slapping Neal on his shoulder a little hard for his liking.

Emma dropped her ruined eggs in the trash and the burnt pan in the sink and then said, "I call the shower!"

Then she ran out of there. Neal watched her as she ran her red pajama shorts clinging to her long legs as her white tank top rode up showing a little skin of her back. He stared as she ran out and then August looked at his friend and said, "I have two words for you: Jail. Bait."

"Hey, I didn't say anything." Neal said putting his hands up in surrender.

"You're eyes and looks are saying too much for my taste." August stated in full protective mode.

"I know, I know, your little thieving princess is off limits. I get it." He said light heartedly.

"You better get it pal." August said folding his arms resolutely.

"I do believe me I do." He said serious looking august straight in the eye, hoping his friend got his point. As soon as he realized who Emma really was. As soon as he realized she was that little princess who he helped his first and pretty much only friend rescue from a dangerous foster home situation, he had already told himself in his mind that she was off limits.

"Good, because I was wondering what were your plans?" August asked changing the subject.

"What plans?" Neal asked.

"I mean do you plan to stick around for a while or you going to go on your way as a drifter and loner business?" August inquired.

"Uh, I usually don't plan so far ahead." Neal said rubbing his neck and then he looked over at August and then he continued,

"But I could stick around in this area for a little while."

"So when you mean stick around. Do you mean living out of your car?" August asked.

"Yeah, well, it's not that bad, we've both slept in worse places. My car is a step up."

"Well, you know as long as you're sticking around your free to stick around on the couch." August offered.

Neal looked at him a bit taken aback.

"Are you offering me a place to stay?"

"Yeah, I guess I am. I know it's no Palace, but it's home." August said looking around forming a small smile on his lips.

He wondered what it must have been like to always travel from place to place from going to not knowing where you were going to sleep from night to night to not only having a place to stay but a place to call home. Then he realized what August was really saying. He could not believe it. He never had a home before.

Neal stood there gawking at him.

"No one has offered me a place to stay before." Neal said in awe.

"Well, I am. Neal you are welcome here, you have a roof over your head as long you need it." August said.

"Thanks, pal, I appreciate it." Neal said.

"What are friends for?" August asked shrugging his shoulders.

Neal sighed and said, "I thought I knew what friends were before but … I may have been wrong in the past."

"The past is the past." August reassured him.

Neal nodded hoping August was right. He had friends before. He ran with a whole group of friends, he ran with a whole group of lost boys. They worked together. They stole together. They had a pirate mentor and a code that they would always looked out for each other. But then things happened, weird crazy coincidences happened, secrets were revealed and he was left alone. He was fine with being left alone really he was. He was better off alone, it was easier not to get hurt that way. If that was so true then why was he so easily swayed with idea of having friends again, of being welcomed to be somewhere? Why did the idea of actually living somewhere with warmth and cushions and no way someone would mug him in his sleep appeal to him so? He actually had a chance to belong somewhere, where they had arguments and they bickered about things like breakfast and jobs. Neal didn't think if he could even hope for something so simple. But here he was actually thinking he could be a part of that.

They took the yellow bug to the small quaint Breakfast place. Neal charmed the girl in a few extra donuts. August was happy to see that when he meant it was his treat he did not mean for them to dine and dash, which was a good thing. August didn't know what it was a bout Neal. He knew that he probably should be on his guard with Neal. He should just see him as a threat. He saw how he looked at Emma, he didn't like that look at all. But he made Emma laugh and he brought smiles and laughter back into their home. Things have been really tense lately. He has been so focused on trying to make sure Emma was provided for and to make sure she stayed on the right track. They were good fun times of course. They enjoyed others company and August always loved the way she looked at him when he told her those gallant fairy tales about her. But time was going so fast and he had made mistakes on the way. He was not sure if running away from the foster homes was the right thing to do or not. Emma was clearly miserable and her foster parents were awful. He had to rescue her from that horror. He could not let anyone hurt his little princess. Things here in this world weren't so easy. Things weren't so black and white as they were in the Enchanted Forest. There weren't huge epic battles between good and evil here, there were choices like let her suffer in the foster home or fend for yourselves on the streets. How was he supposed to be brave, selfless, and true and when things were so murky when he tried so hard to do the right thing but when his choices were so limited. He was able to eventually get out of that life of poverty living on the streets and stealing and conning their way through life. But now that they were there, now they were ligament and seemed to be going on the right path, it got harder. He didn't know what he was doing half of the time. He didn't know how in the world he was ever going to get Emma to believe in magic when they lived in this cruel world barely surviving. They had to thrive. She had to live in this world by their rules. It was the only way. They had to go on the right path. He had to lead her to the right path. It was his job, his responsibility.

Now that Neal was back into the picture maybe things could be lighter. He knew maybe he should dismiss that and try to focus on just bringing Emma on the right path but at this point he felt like he might give up. Things were so tense and maybe that is what they needed right now. They needed to laugh. They needed to have a friend. All of the great heroes had friends to help them along and Emma was supposed to be the greatest. So yeah, he was going to relax and welcome Neal into their life with open arms.

After Breakfast Neal took August to work and then he drove Emma to school. Emma tilted her head.

"What are you doing?" Emma asked appalled.

"Taking you to school? Like August asked." Neal said.

"Do you do everything August tells you?" Emma asked with a mischievous sound in her voice.

"Yeah, actually." Neal said.

"You know, school, is boring you know what we could be doing instead?" She said with a flirtatious smile.

Neal gulped and then he said, "I made a promise to August that I would take you to school."

"Yeah well, here we are promise kept. You took me to school, now you can take me someone where else." Emma said brightly.

"Like where?" Neal asked cautiously.

"Like take me with you to steal more stuff."

Neal laughed, "Yeah, August would love that."

She touched his arm softly and said, "August doesn't have to know."

"Yeah, but I'd know. August agreed to let me stay. I'm not going to betray his trust like that." Neal argued.

"What about the promise you made to me?" Emma asked forming a pout in her soft lips over exaggeratedly.

"And what's that?" Neal asked amused.

"You promised to teach me your thieving ways ol wise sensei." She said bowing in jest.

"Funny, you didn't seem that impressed yesterday." Neal pointed out.

Emma shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe I was just playing hard to get." Emma pouted.

"Yeah, I think the prospect just got a whole lot more attractive because you are going through your rebellious faze and you feel like being a bad girl." He said suggestively.

She moved closer to him and then she whispered in his ear, "Maybe I am. Maybe I am better at being a bad girl."

Her voice shot tingles all along the edges to his ears. Neal nearly fell out of his seat breathe escaped from his lips. And he held on to the wheel to steady himself.

It took every ounce of strength that he didn't know he had to say, "Sorry Princess."

"Ugh! Don't call me that! He calls me that! I am not some little untouchable princess!" She yelled.

Neal didn't say anything to that. Emma stormed out of the car in a fury.

"But that's what you are." He said softly to himself.