Disclaimer: I Don't Own OUAT
A/N: Thanks for all of the reviews, alerts, and faves it makes me happy. Hope you like it.
Neal drove around the town aimlessly. He felt a little bad about doing his usual cons and stealing from convenient stores. He even felt bad about selling the stuff he already stole. It was just since August was so gun hoe about being legitimate and he was so adamant about him and Emma living on the right side of the law, he felt like it would be unfair of him to continue living his life outside of the law, while he stayed there. It wasn't like August told him he had to, or that was a stipulation for him living there. But he couldn't just see them work so hard while he took it easy and stole stuff. Besides it would be a lot easier to stop the whole stealing lessons if he had gone legitimate. He could do this whole go legitimate thing. How hard could it be?
He drove past a store with a "Now Hiring" sign in the window. It was a restaurant. He could do that. He could be a waiter. That was simple enough right? He went in and looked at the hostess and said, "So I hear you're hiring."
She looked at him for a second and then looked at her hostess stand and took a piece of paper out and handed it to him.
"What's this?"
She looked at him like he was a complete idiot.
"Um what does it look like? It's an application for the waiter job."
"Yeah, of course I know. I was just wondering if we could skip this and I could talk to your manager." He said as he gave her his charming smile.
"You can talk to the manager after you fill out your application. And if the manager gives you an interview."
"Right. Can I take it with me?" Neal asked.
"Whatever." The girl said disinterested.
Neal took the application discouraged. Well that put a snag into things. He stared at the treacherous paper full of meaningless characters he did not recognize.
That was the problem in living in a foreign world; you did not always know the language. He could understand what everyone said just fine. It was just the written language was at a loss to him. It was so different from the Enchanted Forest.
Neal shoved it in his glove department. This is what it was going to be like where ever he went. He didn't know what he could possibly do.
He sighed, parking in his usual spot in the city. He opened his trunk and set up the boxes full of watches and jewelry. Well he had to get rid of these items somehow right? He might as well get some money out of it, while he figured out this whole job thing.
Emma was frustrated. Here she was doing the old school thing, when she could be out there stealing stuff with Neal. She had fun stealing that car with Neal and now it would be all for nothing. Despite August refusal to admit that his motorcycle mattered to him. She knew it did. She knew he liked it, it felt nice to have something of his own. He loved to work on it. And for her it symbolized him having his own life.
She hated school. She slammed her locker frustrated.
"Careful, Swan you don't want to break another one." Brad said laughing at his own joke.
Emma shook her head and rolled her eyes at him. She started to pass by him but then he shoved himself in front of her and said, "Not so fast sweet heart."
"Don't call me sweetheart slime ball." Emma said.
"Oh please, Emma, you know you want me."
She then pushed him out of the way. "Pleassssse."
Emma shook her head; Brad has been a pain in her side since she started school. He always came on to her in an overt obvious and kind of disgusting way.
Emma held onto her keys and realized these weren't her house keys, they were car keys, and they belonged to the car she stole with Neal. She could see the image of Neal's smirk haunting her mind. She saw his brown eyes and how the edge of his face wrinkled up as he smiled and gave her that knowing joyful smirk, as he led her to the car lot.
"Seriously? A car dealership. That's where we're going to steal a car." Emma said skeptically raising an eyebrow.
"Yup. Where do you think I got the Bug?" Neal asked.
"How? How did you get the keys?" Emma asked.
"Simple, we break into their office and into their vault."
"Seriously? You're a safe cracker now?" Emma said her skepticism not seeming to leave her.
"I am full of surprises." He teased.
"Okay, let's get on with it sensei." She said bowing to him.
"Lets!" He said giddily and excited as he grabbed her hand leading her to the dealership. Emma followed with equal excitement, somehow his excitement was contagious.
Emma shook herself out of the memory. It's not like it mattered she can't sale the car and she can't go on any more thieving lessons. Instead she had to go on with her mundane life of going to school.
She sat in the back row playing with the keys while the teacher lectured on something that really was escaping her. She still fiddled with the keys. Her mind wondered back to Neal and their little thieving adventure.
Neal pushed her up the window. She climbed through then he climbed up after her she pulled him in and as she did he slipped and fell on top of her. She looked up at him breath escaping her for a moment.
"Sorry." Neal said gazing down at Emma, slightly embarrassed.
Emma breathed in for a second and said with a teasing smile, "It's ok, you're a cluts, it happens."
He stared at her for a moment, gaping at her. Their eyes locked for what seemed for ever.
He got up giving her his hand pulling her up. She took his hand grasping it a little longer then she attended too. She felt the warmth of his hand lingered.
She then let go of his hand feeling a little awkward.
"Now what?" Emma asked.
"Now, you get to be the look out." He said with a playful smile on his face.
"What seriously?" Emma asked annoyed.
"You say seriously a lot." Neal pointed out.
"How am I going to learn how you crack a safe, if you don't teach me?" Emma pleaded.
"It's too advanced for your first lesson." Neal said.
"I'm a fast learner." Emma protested.
Neal curved his lips looking at her with a light in his eye and said, "Oh, I have no doubt, but baby steps, rule number one never rush anything."
"I thought rule number one was don't steal a car with someone still in it." Emma pointed out.
"Good memory." Neal said impressed.
"You suck at these rules you know that." Emma complained.
"It's rule number two then. Rule number three: make sure you don't get caught so if you have a partner, use her as a look out." Neal said flashing her, his mischievous smile.
Emma huffed annoyed and Neal twirled his index finger pointing at the entrance door motioning for her to stand there.
Emma rolled her eyes and then stomped her feet and said, "Fine!"
"Good girl!" Neal said smiling clasping his hands triumphantly together.
Emma stood there on the lookout tapping her foot impatiently. She hated being pushed to the sidelines like this. She wanted to get in on the action. Even though she told herself that this whole stealing a car thing was a one time thing, she really did want to learn more just in case she needed it.
Then she saw a security guard and she panicked running to Neal and said, "Exne on theivery day. The security guards here. We got to bolt. Now!"
"Relax." Neal said as he jingled the keys.
"Oh, good, lets go."
She grabbed his hand leading him to the window. Then they heard footsteps moving towards them. Emma's face went pale.
Neal squeezed her hand tightly and then he whispered in her ear and said, "Rule five: stay calm and hide."
He then led her to the office where they crawled under the desk.
Emma's heart raced in panic. Neal held her hand rubbing cricles in the palm of her hand with the edge of his thumb. Well it was working in distracting her from her fear of impending doom, but it gave her another problem all together.
Then he said, "The coast is clear."
He then helped her up and they were about to leave through the window when Emma stopped, thinking about something.
"What is it?"
"If I sale the car without the paperwork no one is going to take it seriously."
"Paperwork?"
"Yeah, hold on, I'm sure they have the proper paper work here."
Neal looked at the computer and file cabinets with a small spark of anxiety in his face.
Then he said, "After you."
Then she started to open the file cabinet but it was locked. Then Neal took a broken paper clip out of his pocket and giggled it in the lock, unlocking the cabinet.
Emma pursed her lips watching him pick the lock and she said in low voice, "Impressive."
He smiled and then opened the cabinet and siad, "After you, my lady."
Emma smiled at that and went through looking at the documents. After Neal unlocked a couple more cabinets, she found the title for the car they got.
Emma grabbed it excitedly, "Here we are!"
She waved the title at him, "Isn't beautiful?"
Neal laughed, "It's great, now lets get out of here and get that drink!"
Emma grabbed the keys from him and said, "Lets!"
Emma shook herself out of the memory trying to pay attention, to her rambling teacher, with no luck. She just didn't see how this whole school thing would work for her.
So Neal felt like a slight failure as he drove back to Emma and August's apartment. He wondered if he should still crash here if he couldn't even find a way to be legit. It was just the first day and maybe somehow some way he could be legitimate. He did not know how to get past the whole reading thing, though.
As he arrived in the bug he saw August leaning against his motor cycle staring at an empty parking spot. Neal stared at him curiously wondering why he was doing that when it occurred to him that is where Emma had parked the car they stole together.
He got out of his bug cautious and asked, "What happened?"
"I'm not sure. But what are the chances someone stole a stolen car?" August asked.
Neal shrugged his shoulders and said, "It happens."
"Yes, well, it is a bit coincidental that it happens when I get a call saying Emma skipped school." August said looking at Neal pointedly anger filling his eyes.
"What? Don't look at me. I took her to school, just like you asked me to. I swear." Neal said putting his hands up in surrender.
August examined Neal for a moment contemplative and then sighed, "I believe you. I just don't know what to do."
Neal sighed at a loss himself. It occurred to him that staying with them meant that he was signing up to look after Emma. He saw that August was like a parent to her, could he take that role on too? It was weird because just the other day he was just flirting and hoping…that didn't matter August had saved him before, he was the only one who showed him any kindness when he first came to this strange land.
"Don't worry man we can figure it out, besides I'm sure she didn't run away." Neal said.
"I know I just… she needs to stay in school she can't just go off and…"
"Oh come on its just one day. Is it really the end of the world?"
"It's not just one day and it's…I've been trying so hard to keep her on the right track but I can see it, I can just see her falling. She's slipping because of me." August said distraught.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, your just one guy, it's not like you have anyone to guide you. How are you supposed to guide her?" Neal asked.
August shook his head and laughed glumly and said, "You don't know the half of it."
"What do you mean?" Neal asked intrigued.
"Nothing it doesn't matter." August said brushing it off.
"It looks like it does actually." Neal said pressing the matter further. There was something more going on, he could tell. August was holding on to some type of secret he just knew it. He had dealt with secrets long enough he knew a thing or two about them.
August was taken aback by Neal's sudden interest in his reasons. This was starting to get uncomfortable, it wasn't like he could tell him the truth, and he couldn't even bring himself to tell Emma the truth. Somehow the way they lived, it had made Emma hard and skeptical, he tried to keep her mind open by telling her stories but now she didn't like to hear them and she did not really believe in anything she could not see. He could not forget the time when she yelled at him for telling her about how if they stayed on the right path they could be reunited with their parents again. She told him to stop with the fairy tales, she knew that was just a lie he told her to make her do what he wanted her to do. She ranted about that all what fairy tales were, it was their way to get kids to be 'good'. He did not know here he went wrong. He didn't know how he was going to eventually tell her the truth and he was not so sure she would believe him. But for now, it wasn't his priority, his priority was to keep her on the right track, keep her in school, graduate, go to college, and get a well-adjusted job. That is how people succeeded in this world. That was the right path. The Blue Fairy told him to keep Princess Emma on the right path so that was what he was going to do. He just wished it wasn't so hard.
He looked back at Neal who was ready and waiting for an answer and so he said, "It's just I promised my father I would look out for her. He was friends with her parents."
"I remember you told me when we went to rescue her." Neal said.
"Yeah." August said shoving his hands in his pockets and then he continued, "I wonder if it was a mistake, I can't help but think if she would be better off in the system. At least there are some adults who know what they are doing."
"Oh, please, August that is a load of crap. You know that's not true. There is a reason why we ran away from that foster home. It sucks. Those adults didn't care about us; they were jerks and had a tendency to be abusive. You could not just leave Emma in that. She is better off with you then alone tossed from foster home to foster home." Neal griped.
"But I am just not good enough for her. I tried so hard to be my best for her. I tried to be selfless, brave, and true for her but I seem to always come short." August said defeated.
"It's impossible to be that good all of the time August." Neal said.
August shrugged knowing that there was no way Neal could possibly understand he did not come from where he was from. He did not know that he wasn't even real and that his father and the blue fairy had tasked him with this mission. He wondered how Neal would even respond to that.
Then August said, "I have to try. That's all I can do."
Neal nodded weakly and then he said, "So first things first let's find the little thieving princess." Neal said rubbing his hands together.
"Oh, great, that's your nick name for her. That's helpful." August said slightly irritated.
"It suits her for now. So where should we look? Does she have a friend's house she would hang out at? Or a popular hangout, I noticed that's what kids these days do."
August meekly said, "She doesn't really have any friends. I try to get her to mingle more and get involved but she always felt like such an outsider, like she doesn't belong in this world."
"I know the feeling." Neal said reflective.
Then suddenly Emma arrived strutting with her bag slinked across her side and a big huge smile on her face as she went in her bag and started counting the big wad of cash. She stopped at a start and her mood completely changed as she saw August and Neal standing there.
"What the hell Emma?"
"What are you doing here August? I thought you had work."
"You're school called saying you skipped."
Emma rolled her eyes and then she said, "You didn't have to miss work just because I missed school."
"Apparently I do." August said and then he went in full lecture mode, "Where is the car Emma?"
"I sold it. Here. Now you don't have to sell the motorcycle." She said handing August the wad of cash.
August stared at the money that seemed like forever.
Emma pursed her lips hopeful and then said, "Look, August we already did it; we stole the car, so we might as well get rid of the stolen merchandise and get some money out of it. I swear this will be the last time. If you want me to go back to boring school, fine I will go back to boring school, I just can't stand the fact that you give up so much for me. So please, just let me do something for you."
August sighed in defeat, "Fine, I'll keep the motorcycle."
Emma hopped up in excitement and then she threw her arms around August thrilled and said, "Yay!"
August hugged her back in defeat. It was hard to lay down the law and punish Emma when she was always being so darn cute and loving. At moments like this he just wanted to give everything up and just do whatever she wants.
Neal stood there a bit awkwardly feeling like an intruder again then Emma grabbed him by his hoodie and said, "Get in here. Group hug!"
Then they all three proceeded to hug each other.