Crestview Park was perhaps the saddest excuse for a park Emma had ever seen. One of the slides was ripped from the playscape it had once been attached to, a worrying gap separating the two. The climbing structures were missing a few rungs on each one, and the coils on the spring toys for younger children were rusted from lack of care.

Even the picnic wooden picnic tables were splinter traps, parts of the wood so sharp they looked like the splinters could penetrate even her heavy jacket.

The worst part of the park was the litter. Not just litter from food, but she could see cigarette butts among other things used for drugs. It was no wonder no one was here, and, frankly, she was very confused as to why Neal would want to bring her here. Even though they weren't exactly rolling in money, they had been trying to stay away from the sketchy areas of town.

He'd been acting strange anyway, since he'd told her about his wanted poster and how he had to leave. She, of course, had refused to leave him behind, and they had a plan to get the watches, even if he had taken some convincing to let her go with him.

So what was the big deal?

He led her to the one part of the park that didn't look like it would blow over at a small gust of wind - the swings, and took a seat on one. She followed, a cup of hot chocolate in her hands.

"So… do you want to tell me why you're so freaked out about this last heist?" she asked with a frown. "You're scaring me, Neal."

He heaved out a sigh. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to freak you out. I'm just - are you really, really sure you want to do this? Steal the watches and go on the run with me?"

"Of course I'm sure, Neal. All I want is you, and our future together if we can fence those watches." She had a bunch of fantasies in her head about what they'd do with the money, despite her mind telling her not to get her hopes up, and she was starting to think this was why she never should have in the first place.

Neal nodded slowly. "Okay, okay. That's what I want too, I swear. I just… got confronted with my past and I felt a little overwhelmed."

"The wanted poster, I know. I said I was fine coming with you for a reason."

"I don't mean that, Emma. Last night while you were looking at a map of the station, someone who knows my dad found me."

His dad? Oh, that was another matter entirely. Neal didn't talk about his dad much, but Emma did know that he was apparently an awful human being who Neal felt the need to run away from when he was only thirteen, so the fact that someone his dad knew had found Neal… well, it concerned her, to say the least.

"I see. What did he tell you?"

Neal looked like he was struggling to figure out what he was going to say as he rocked forward and back on the swing. "He… said that my father is in need of help. That there is someone very bad after him and only I can save him, or something."

Emma blinked in confusion, then began to laugh, also beginning to swing. "You're kidding, right? Why would you want to help your dad after he forced you to run away from home?"

He pulled a face. "I don't know. He probably made a bad deal with someone." The words were bitter, holding a much deeper meaning than Emma could understand, and she frowned a little

"I guess that means you don't want anything to do with him, right? So you're not going to go help him." It would be stupid of him to do so, wouldn't it? His dad was a terrible person…

"I don't know," Neal said. "It's like I said before… once you find a place that feels like home, you miss it. If my dad is in trouble, I want to help."

She couldn't say she understood his reasoning at all, given what she had heard about him, but she loved Neal, so she nodded. "Okay, then we'll go together and help him."

"What? Emma, are you sure?" he questioned, his eyes wide.

"I didn't leave when I found out you stole those watches and you had a wanted poster. I'm not leaving you because your dad is an asshole. Besides, you might need help, and how else are you going to show him that you're better without him?"

Neal tilted his head back and laughed. "Yeah, I guess so. Alright, if you're sure. After we fence the watches in Canada, we'll go to Storybrooke together."

Emma hummed as they stood up. "Well, it's not Tallahassee, but at least I'll be with you."