What Happened to Fredrick?

"So, the two of you haven't always been together in all of that time since Emma came out of prison?" Archie asked, stunned. He had always thought that the two of them, despite their current differences, were unbreakable. He watched as both Neal and Emma shifted slightly, the subject clearly a touchy one for both of them.

"We broke up two years after that." Neal admitted. "We found each other a little over eight months later."

"Is that when you got back together?"

"Not straight away. Things were... complicated." Emma admitted quietly.

"In what way?" Archie asked, and the couple shared a glance.

...

August 2004

Emma walked through the party silently, blending into the crowd as if she wasn't there. She was used to pretending to be invisible; the few short months alone had isolated her from nearlly everyone. In fact, before she had arrived in Denver, she couldn't remember the first time she had a conversation with another human being which didn't have anything to do with her lunch order. It had been eight months since she had left Tallahassee, since she had left Neal, and she had felt a hole in her heart ever since.

She had tried to move on but she couldn't honestly say that she was at peace with her decison, she hadn't wanted to marry him, she knew that she was in no way ready for that. They were too young, he was too immature, she had become, admittedly, too closed off. But, she wished that she hadn't let him go. She wished that she had fought for their relationship and, when she had come to the realisation that she regretted her decision, she had gone back to the motel. A part of her knew that he wouldn't be there, but her heart had still sunk when she had saw the empty room.

"Emma!" A bubbly, familiar voice said suddenly, breaking her out of her misery. Emma forced a smile onto her face as Hannah ran over. Hannah was very short, over a head smaller than Emma herself and that was without Emma's heels, but her bubbliness almost made her bounce so she seemed taller than she actually was. Hannah and Emma had been working together since Emma had started at the dinner; while Emma saw it as a part time thing, Hannah seemed to genuinely love it. The younger girl always had a true smile on her face even on the worst days, although she secretly told her that she had dreams of making it in law. Hannah, unlike many others, wasn't put off by Emma's closed off attitude, in fact she treated her as if they had been friend's for years. Emma honestly liked her.

"Have you met my husband?" Hannah asked suddenly, turning Emma around. Emma froze, her heart feeling like it was climbing up her throat when her eyes connected with dark brown, and she was left staring at the last person she had ever expected to see again, and - going by his expression - he was just as shocked to see her here as well. "Neal, this is Emma."

...

A weird truth is that Emma hadn't thought of the stranger in months, despite him being there in the background as a new constant. But, to be completely honest, she'd had bigger things on her mind - still did, now that she was planning her new wedding with Neal. It was for that reason that when she arrived at Granny's a couple of days after Neal proposed, she almost walked right past him.

"I've been meaning to bump into you." He said, causing her to stop and turn around to face him. He smiled at her in a way that she supposed was meant to be charming. "Matter of fact, I was hoping we might grab that drink you promised."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Is that you asking me out?" she asked, he shrugged.

"Well, if putting a label on it makes you more comfortable, sure. Let's call it a date."

"I think my husband may have something to say about that. Besides which, I thought you came here to write, to find inspiration."

"I'm optimistic about our date."

"And I'm optimistic that you will end up with a black eye."

"Neal and I will be fine. It's just a drink."

"See, I have a policy - I won't assosciate myself with guys who won't tell me their names. I teach my kids about stranger danger. One thing I definitely know about guys who keep secrets, is that they usually have something to hide. It was nice talking to you." She said, turning around.

"It's August." He called after her. "August W. Booth."

Emma scoffed. "Really? With the middle initial?"

"W's for Wayne. So, there goes your reason for not meeting me here after work." He said, before hopping on his bike and riding off. Emma watched after him before shaking her head, walking into the diner to meet with her family and Mary Margaret.

"Who was that?" Mary Margaret asked Neal, who had watched the exchange stonily.

"Someone I wish would just leave." Neal grumbled as Emma sat down at the table. Despite his attempt at being quiet, Emma heard him.

"Okay, seriously, who is he?" she demanded, folding her arms across her chest.

"No one you need to worry about. Why are you so interested?"

"It's nothing." She shrugged off.

Mary Margaret and Neal shared a glance. "Nothing with you means something." Neal pointed out. Mary Margaret nodded.

"Because if it were nothing, we wouldn't be talking about it." She added, glancing at Neal. "That goes for you too. It clear to see that you and he have history."

"Didn't you call us here to talk about you?" Neal asked suddenly, in an attempt to change the subject.

"Yeah, but talking about you two and your problems is easier right now."

"What is it?" Emma frowned in concern. "What's going on?"

Mary Margaret hesitated before leaning across the table, lowering her voice so that only Neal and Emma could hear her. "Remember when you told me to stay away from David and I agreed?"

"Yes."

"I didn't."

Neal and Emma smirked. "We know." Neal admitted, and Mary Margaret's eyes widened in surprise.

"You do? How?"

"Because we're the police, and you are a lovesick school teacher." Emma pointed out, amused that Mary Margaret thought she had managed to hide everything from them. "Covering your tracks is not exactly your strong suit."

"Well, I've been discre - " Mary Margaret said highly, before speaking more quietly after glancing around the diner to see if anyone had overheard. "Discrete."

"Two teacups in the sink, new perfume, late nights, plunging necklines." Mary Margaret blushed even more as Emma listed everything off. "It was not hard to connect the dots."

"Plunging?"

"When I met you, you were a top button kind of girl."

"Huh... Why didn't you say anything?"

Neal shrugged, taking a sip of his coffee. "We're not your parents."

"No." Mary Margaret sighed. "Well, according to Henry, I'm Emma's." She looked at Neal. "That would make you my son-in-law."

Neal smiled happily. He couldn't wait for her to find out the truth, he just hoped she liked him as much as she seemed to as Mary Margaret. "Do I get to call you mom?"

Emma rolled her eyes at him and continued. "I just figured that you would let me know when it was time. I'm assuming its time."

"He's telling Kathryn." Mary Margaret breathed.

Neal raised an eyebrow, as he and Emma shared a glance. "Everything?"

"Everything."

"When all of this comes out, just remember that we're here for you." Emma said, giving the other woman's hand a gentle squeeze. She could see the hope in her friend's eyes and Emma knew that, despite the guilt she felt other what she and David had done to Kathryn, she was excited for everything to be out in the open. Emma didn't have the heart to tell her that even though she was getting her 'happy ending' with David, nothing was going to be as perfect as she hoped it would. Everything was going to get very messy after David's talk with Kathryn.

...

September 2004

Neal and Emma hadn't spoken at all. It had been a month since the party, since Emma had found herself face to face with her ex, in the arms of his brand new wife. Emma couldn't understand how she hadn't seen him before; she had been in Denver for weeks, working at that dinner with Hannah since her first day since moving their, and she had never once seen him. She had heard of Hannah's husband, Hannah was like a love struck teenager and never shut up about him, and she had heard that he had 'popped round' while she had been on her break, or had just arrived for her shift. But she had never saw him. Now, it was like he was always there.

Whenever Emma turned around, her heart panged painfully because Hannah was always hugging him, or kissing him, or they were giggling playfully with each other. If he caught her looking, he would always pull away from her and act more serious, more like the Neal she knew in the last year or so that they were in Tallahassee. He was worried about hurting her feelings, she had realised. But it didn't change anything; they had lost their Tallahassee, and he had found it with someone else.

It wasn't until half way through September, that he had actually worked up the courage to come and speak to her. Which had, of course, led to Emma slapped him around the face.

"What the hell was that for?!" He exclaimed, holding his cheek which, to Emma's satisfaction, was already bright red.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?" she snapped. Neal looked down. "How long did it take you before you married her?"

"Six weeks." Neal admitted, cringing slightly when he saw her expression. "We'd just broken up and I came to Denver, Hannah wanted to go to Vegas for the weekend and it just... happened."

"I must have meant a lot to you."

"You did. You do."

"Go and tell that to Mrs Cassidy."

"Emma, I'm with her because I don't want to break her heart." Neal snapped. "I don't love her. I care about her, she's a great friend, but I don't love her like I love you!"

Emma stared at him for a long moment. There was a lot of things that she wanted to say, a lot of hurtful things she wanted to throw at him, but with his confirmation that he didn't love Hannah, that he loved her, had thrown her off. She opened her mouth but no words came out. Neal had once told her that he loved managing to make her speechless, and now he truly had. Without thinking about what she was doing - thinking only of the man in front of her, the man she loved - Emma grabbed hold of his shirt and pulled him towards her, pressing her mouth against his.

...

"WHAT?!" Neal exclaimed, jumping up from the sofa. Emma and Archie watched him cautiously. "Are you kidding me?!"

"It's only a drink?" Emma protested.

"With someone I despise!"

"But you won't tell me why, so then why should I avoid him like the plague?!"

"Maybe it would be better if you told us why you don't like Mr Booth, Neal?" Archie suggested calmly. Neal hesitated, sitting back down.

"He's just... someone from my past."

Emma shook her head with a laugh. "You see," she said to Archie. "That's all he'll ever say. He doesn't tell my why he's so angry, he won't give any explanations but I'm supposed to do everything he says when it comes to August. At least with his dad I can understand the reasons, I can respect his wishes knowing there's a reason behind them."

"And there is a reason why I don't want you around August." Neal promised but Emma just scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"Is he dangerous? Do you think he could cause Emma harm?" Archie asked.

Neal sighed. "No." He admitted, knowing that August would never hurt Emma. He wanted her to break the curse, after all.

"Do you think he may cause issues in your relationship?" Archie asked then, looking at Neal almost knowingly. Emma looked at Neal then, with a frown.

It wouldn't be the first time, he thought to himself, but didn't say anything. His silence said everything for the other two in the room, anyway. Emma took his hand which had been resting on his lap and squeezed his hand comfortingly until he looked up at her.

She gave him a small smile. "It will never happen. You need to trust me."

"It's not you that I distrust."

"Why don't we come up with a compromise?" Archie suggested. "A trust exercise if you like. Emma, why don't you go on this drink with Mr Booth and then, when you've finished, you come back and tell Neal everything that happened on this drink. It may be a way to overcome any trust issues that the two of you have." Emma pulled a face, she wasn't keen on the idea but knew that something needed to give. She wasn't willing to let Neal tell her who she can or can't see, but she knew that she was going to hurt him by going. She nodded, rubbing her thumb comfortingly over the back of Neal's hand as he continued to squeeze her hand tightly. Archie turned to Neal. "Neal, I think one of the main things that we need to focus on if your trust issues and anger. How long do you think you've been like this?" he asked. Neal didn't say anything.

Emma sighed. "He's been like this ever since I've known him." She answered for him.

"What do you think has caused you to be like this?" Neal remained silent, not feeling like talking about this any more. Emma raised an eyebrow at the calm speaking man.

"What do you think? He was abandoned three times." She snapped.

"Emma." Neal said calmly.

"Sorry." Emma sighed.

"I've been like this ever since my step-father abandoned me. He was the last person before Emma that I trusted completely."

"Who was the first person to destroy your trust?" Archie asked, though he knew the answer. Though they had barely spoken of Mr Gold since Emma's revelation, Archie had a feeling that a lot of Neal's problems stemmed from what had happened between him and his father.

"My father." Neal confirmed. "My mother left before you but I was too young to know anything really. My father had told me that she had died."

"That was nice of him." Emma grumbled.

Neal smiled at her. "Well, as you've already seen, he's a pleasant man." He said, making her snort with laughter.

Archie smiled before he could stop himself. "Is it safe to say that there is a lot that has been left unsaid between you and your father. A lot which has been unresolved." Neal nodded. He knew that there was a lot that they should be getting through, which they needed to sort through so that both of them needed to deal with so that they could both move on - that is, if Neal had actually wanted a relationship with the man who he feared and, at times, still hated. "May I make a suggestion? Write him a letter. Put everything down on paper; how he made you feel when he abandoned you, the things you've been doing since then, what he's missed out on - "

"I don't want him to know who I am."

"You don't need to tell him. You said he had a different name for you, what was it?"

"Bae. He always called me Bae."

"Then he'll be getting a letter from Bae, not Neal Cassidy."

...

"Hey. Did, uh..." Mary Margaret took a deep breath as she walked down the stairs. "Did you do it?"

"Yeah." David sighed on the other end of the phone. "It's bad."

"I'm sorry."

"No, it was... It was really bad."

"But you told the truth." She pointed out, optimistically. "So, now, we can pick up the pieces. We can start over from a real place."

David didn't say anything for a moment but when he spoke again, his voice was much lighter. "Hey, I want to see you. Can I come by when you get done at school."

Mary Margaret smiled widely. "Of course! I'll see you then. And, David - you did the right thing." She said reassuringly, before hanging up. Her smile didn't last long however, because as soon as she turned the corner, she looked up to see Kathryn storming over to her, the rage and contempt aimed at Mary Margaret practically radiating off her so that children and other members of staff gave her a wide birth. "Kathryn. I'm sorry." She managed to say when the furious blond stopped in front of her, before her head snapped to the side with an audible crack and all eyes turned on them.

"Screw you, you're sorry." Kathryn snapped.

Ignoring the pain in her cheek, Mary Margaret took a deep breath. "I understand you're upset. You have every right to be." She said calmly, Kathryn scoffed in disbelief.

"Thank you for that insight!"

"Can we... Can we please talk somewhere private?"

"Private?! Why do you get any consideration at all? You have shown none for me - either of you. All you did was lie!"

"We should have talked to you sooner, but we've been completely honest. We didn't lie."

"You didn't lie? You snuck around. You had him break up my marriage with a pack of lies. With some crap about not being able to connect? He didn't have any trouble connecting with you."

Mary Margaret stared at her blankly for a moment, trying to comprehend her words. "David didn't tell you about us?" she asked, feeling a tightening in her throat.

"No, of course not. That would have been the honourable thing to do."

"But... he said he would tell you." Mary Margaret said meekly.

Kathryn sneered at her. "Well, then he lied to you, too. Good luck making it work. You two deserve each other."

...

Despite her feelings towards Neal's anger at her decision to find out more about the stranger, she still couldn't stop herself from asking when August pulled up on his motorcycle outside Granny's, "Are you sure about this?" she asked.

"No." He answered honestly, before forcing a smile on her face. "But what's the worst that can happen?"

Giving his hand a quick squeeze, Emma walked over to the charming stranger. "You going to come in? I thought you wanted that drink?"

August smirked. "I do, but I didn't say here. Hop on." He patted the back on his bike. Emma hesitated, glancing back at Neal, flinching when she saw him glaring hatefully at the man in front of her.

Forcing herself to look to focus on him, she asked, "You want me to get on the back of that bike?"

"That's what 'hop on' means."

"How about if we go somewhere, I drive?" Emma suggested, trying to remain in control. Neal remained silent behind her.

"How about you stop having to control everything and take a leap of faith?" August shot back, and Emma sighed. "You owe me a drink. Hop on. I know a good watering hole."

"If you don't, I will." Granny said from behind her.

Emma glanced back at Neal, who smiled at her tightly and nodded. Reluctantly, her curiosity over August and his background with her husband overpowering her desire to stay with Neal, she took the helmet that August offered and climbed onto the back of the bike.

Once she was on, August looked over at Neal and smirked. "Don't worry, Neal." He called over. "I'll take good care of her." And then, he drove off down the street, leaving Neal staring after them.

...

Emma stared at the well in disbelief. "A watering hole." She repeated his words slowly, shaking her head as she looked between the well and August. "Literally?"

August shrugged, still smiling. "Well, say what you want about me - I always tell the truth."

"I just thought a drink was, like, wine or whiskey." Emma said as she followed him over to it.

"What, do you want me to get you drunk?" August raised an eyebrow. "What would Neal think?"

Emma frowned. "What's your deal with him?" she asked, getting straight to the point.

August sighed, leaning against the well. "Neal and I have a long and complicated history. Maybe it would be better if you ask him."

Emma grimaced, she had. For months now, she had been asking about his connection with August and she had gotten nothing. Even now, with their sessions with Archie, his answers were always vague and she was left more frustrated than when she first started asking questions. "I'm asking you." Emma pushed.

"Does it ever bother you about all of the secrets your husband keeps?" August questioned. "Did he tell you about his father? His wife?"

"I know about Gold." Emma snapped, looking down slightly. "And Hannah."

"Something are better left alone." August said, as he began to pull up the well's bucket. "They say there's something special about this well." He said, changing the subject. Emma rolled her eyes; the two may hate each other, but they were just as transparent as each other. "There's even a legend. They say that the water from the well is fed by an underground lake, and that lake has magical properties."

"Magic? You sound like Henry." Emma smiled fondly at the thought of the ten year old.

"Smart kid." August mused. "So, this legend. It says that if you drink the water from the well, something lost will be returned to you."

Emma's eyes narrowed. "You know an awful lot about this town for being a stranger."

"And you know very little for being the Deputy."

"How do you know all this? You've been here before?"

"I know all of this for one very simple reason." August told her. "I read the plaque."

Emma looked down and smiled when she saw the brass plaque on the side of the well. "You actually believe that?"

"I'm a writer. I have to have an open mind."

"Yeah, but magic?"

"Water is a very powerful thing. Cultures as old as time have worshipped it. It flows throughout all lands, connecting the entire world. If anything had mystical properties - if anything had magic - well, I'd say it'd be water."

"That's asking a lot to believe on faith." Emma grumbled.

"If you need evidence for everything, Emma, you're going to find yourself stuck in one place for a long time."

"Maybe. Or, maybe, I'll just find the truth before anyone else." Emma shot back, watching as he poured some of the 'mystical' water into a cup and handed it to her.

"Well, Miss Skeptic, there's one thing I can tell you for sure that requires no leap of faith, and I know you'll agree with me."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"

"It's good water."

...

"A mystical well? Really?" Neal raised his eyebrow. Emma laughed.

"That's what he said. Apparently, it's supposed to bring back that which has been lost."

"Well, we know where to look the next time you lose your wedding ring." Neal smirked, taking a sip of his coffee. Emma rolled her eyes.

"Mary Margaret Blanchard..."

"I know, what a tramp..."

"She should be ashamed of herself." He heard Granny say finally and turned to see Granny, Ruby and Mrs Ginger whispering together at the counter. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realise who they were talking about and why. Neal glanced at Emma to see that she had realised what was happening as well, she stared grimly back. "Honestly, I expected better from her. What kind of woman steals another woman's husband?"

The words, while expected, sounded extremely harsh coming from Granny's mouth and Neal's eyes hardened when he saw Emma flinch. He stood up without another word, ignoring Emma's pleading for him to sit back down as he walked over to the gossiping women.

"Hi." He said brightly, putting on a charming smile. The women smiled back, each giving him their greetings, however, their smiles disappeared in an instant as Neal carried. "Couldn't help hearing your conversation about my good friend, Mary Margaret. And, I must say, I think you're all digusting. I can't say the same about you Mrs Ginger, since you don't have many friends, but Granny, Ruby, Mary Margaret has been a friend to you for as long as you can remember and you're condeming her because of one mistake."

Ruby looked down sheepishly while Granny stared back at him defiantly. "What she did to that young woman was wrong - "

"She didn't do anything. Mary Margaret was single when she began a relationship with David Nolan, she didn't cheat on anybody."

"She broke up a marriage."

"Maybe that marriage was already broken." Neal shot back. "You should know everything before you start judging. I honestly expected better from you Granny, I always thought that you were a kind and caring woman but I guess I was wrong." He said, leaving Granny spluttering in outrage as he left the diner with Emma.

...

"Who did this?" Mary Margaret gasped, looking at her car mournfully. David spun around, a sad look on his face which she ignored, staring instead at the word 'tramp' staring back at her in big red letters.

"I don't know." David sighed, throwing down the sponge. "I'm sorry. I don't know how any of this happened."

Mary Margaret looked at him then, her brows furrowed. "You don't know? Really?"

"Mary Margaret, I can't control what other people do." David said softly.

"No, but you can control what you do." She shot back, and David looked down guiltily. "And you lied. And, now, everyone is calling me a tramp."

"Who told her?"

"That is exactly the wrong question. The real question is, why didn't you do what we discussed? Why didn't you tell her?"

"I thought we could spare her feelings."

"Right... you thought. Not we, you. And we discussed this."

"I didn't want anyone to get hurt."

"Now everyone is hurt. We had an understanding. We had an agreement. But you not only lied to her, you lied to me."

"Mary Margaret, please. Listen to me." David pleaded, holding her hands in his, looking at her almost desperately. "If we want to see if... If this... If what we have is love... we have to do what you said. You know, pick up the pieces, and we've got to move on."

Mary Margaret felt a tear run down her face as she pulled her hands free from his grip. "David, this isn't love. What we have is something else entirely. What we have is destructive, and it has to stop."

David shook his head. "What are you saying?" he asked, already know, and dreading, her answer.

"That we shouldn't be together."

...

September 2004

Neal didn't think that he was a good man. He was well aware that he had done bad things in the past and, although he tried to be a good man, he was always ended up doing something wrong. Neal had never expected to become the kind of man who cheated on his wife; he had always pictured that, when he did marry, he would love that woman with all of his heart, they would grow old together and be surrounded by their grandchildren in a small cottage in the middle of the country side. He had never pictured in that fantasy that his wife wouldn't be someone he loved. For over three years, he had imagined Emma as his wife - he remembered the sinking feeling in his stomache when he had woken up in Vegas and realized that he had gotten married.

No, Neal thought grimly as he lay on the picnic blanket next to Emma, he was definitely not a good man.

"Hey," Emma said softly, her blonde hair spread across red and white. "What's that face for?"

Neal forced himself to smile. "Nothing." He said lightly. Emma didn't love convinced. She narrowed her eyes at him and he sighed, heavily. "I'm just thinking about Hannah."

"... Wow." Emma muttered sourly.

Neal closed his eyes. "I'm sorry. This is a mess, I know."

"You said you didn't love her."

"It's not that simple."

"Why not?" Emma challenged, sharply. "We love each other. You've already told me that Hannah doesn't make you happy so why stay with her?"

"Because I don't want to hurt her."

Emma softened. "What do you think will hurt her more?"

Neal went silent as Emma's words sank in. When he had first met Hannah, she had quickly became his best friend. He had never thought that he would hurt her, in fact he had tried to protect her as he had also tried to protect Emma when they had first met. He had tried all of his life to be good, to not become his father, that, while he may not be as bad as his father, he had become a man he despised. A man who would hurt a woman who loved him more than anything.

"I'm going to tell her." He promised, his words growing in confidence when he saw the smile on Emma's face. He may not be a good man, but he was determined to try and make things right.

...

"Are you okay?" Emma asked, as she and Neal walked down the street from Granny's. She had been silent as they had left the diner, knowing that Neal needed to calm down himself and that, no matter what she said, it wouldn't do anything to help. Neal cared about Mary Margaret, she was one of his closest friends, but Emma knew that Granny's words got to Neal not only because they were aimed at his friend but also because of what happened in the past. It didn't feel like that long ago that Emma was on the recieving end of the same treatment as Mary Margaret was clearing getting now that her relationship with David was out. She had long since buried her feelings on the past and the backlash to their affair, but she knew it still bothered Neal. He still felt guilt for what happened, for what they did to Hannah.

"I'm fine." Neal said quietly, though Emma knew that it wasn't the case.

Ignoring the urge to leave it at that, Emma pulled them to a stop and turned Neal to face her, her heart dropping slightly when she saw the glassy look in Neal's eyes. How many times had he been this hurt before and she hadn't done anything to help? How many times had she just let it go and left him to suffer in silence?

"Neal." She whispered, pulling him into her arms. He held on to her tightly, gripping onto her as if they were stranding in the middle of the ocean and she was the only thing keeping him from drowning. Neither of them noticed August watched with a grimace from across the street, and he continued to watch even after they had found the book hidden under the bug and had drove off.

...

Emma tried to keep the smile off her face as she walked over to Henry outside his school. Instead, she casually sat next to him and looked at the game he was playing.

"Wow, I love that game." She said, the smile about to break through. She knew he was going to love her surprise more than this game from Regina, and a small part of her couldn't help but feel triumphant even though she knew she shouldn't. "Space Paranoids, right?"

Henry nodded as he continued playing, showing no joy in the game. "Yeah, my mom got it from me."

"I used to play that all the time when I was a kid. Relax, it's all in the wrists." She advised, but within seconds he had lost.

Not at all concerned, Henry finally looked at her. "My mom's picking me up in, like, five minutes." He told her, looking miserable. Not for long, Emma thought happily.

"Alright, I'll be quick, then. I just have something I'd like to give you." She pulled the book out of her bag. She finally let her smile out when she saw his face light up in an instant.

"You found it!" He exclaimed, taking the book from her. "Where'd you get it?"

"I found it in a gutter. It must have falled off the dump truck on the way to the junkyard and got tossed around in the rain. And, somehow, made it's way back to us."

"Wow. That's crazy."

"What other explanation could there be?"

Henry thought for a moment before shrugging. "I don't know."

"Well, whatever happened, it came back."

"Maybe, it means our luck is changing." Henry beamed. "Operation Cobra is back on. It's a sign. Things are going to be better."

Emma hoped so. Things were getting a lot better with Neal, Teddy and Clara were getting more settled in Storybrooke, the only thing left was for things to get better with Henry. "I hope you're right, kid."

...

September 2004

Emma wasn't surprised when she saw Hannah at her door later that evening, she was, however, surprised at the state of her. Hannah's mascara, which was usually so perfect and precise that she was the envy of most of the other waitresses, had run down her face along with her tears. The usually bubbly young woman, who always had a smile on her face and seemed to light up at even the simpilest of things, looked run down and miserable. Emma had never seen someone look so heartbroken and hurt. She had always known that, when their secret finally came out, Hannah would be hurt and, while she had never taken any pleasure from that fact, she had been prepared for that. Atleast, she thought she had. But as she stared at this woman on the other side of her door, the guilt she was feeling was like a hole in the middle of her chest. She opened her mouth to say something, apologise, anything but nothing came out. She didn't know what to say to the woman who had shown her nothing but kindness and she had ripped her world apart.

Emma couldn't help but flinch when Hannah, clearly taking offense to her long moment of silence, slapped her across her face. Despite her size, Hannah had a lot of force behind her and Emma stumbled back slightly. "You evil bitch."

"Hannah - "

"No." Hannah snapped, walking through the doorway. "You don't get to speak. You don't get to even try to defend yourself over what you've done."

"I'm really sorry." Emma said anyway. "We never meant to hurt you."

"Well, that's what you did."

"I know, and if I can make it upto you - "

"You want to make it upto me? Do you, really?" Hannah interrupted.

Emma nodded. "Yes. Of course, I do."

"Then leave him." Emma went silent. "Leave me and my husband alone. Tell him that you've changed your mind, it wouldn't be the first time. I should've know that you were that Emma. Neal's been acting weird ever since saw you, I just didn't think..."

"I'm sorry, Hannah. You have to believe that I am." Emma took a deep breath. "But I can't do that. I've lost him once, I'm not willing to do it again. Me and him, we have a history that we can't ignore."

Hannah let out a bitter laugh which made Emma flinch, it sounded wrong compared to the sweet, high laugh she had become accustomed to hearing. "A history? Are you kidding me?"

"It's true."

"I've know Neal since he was fourteen years old." Hannah shot back, a slight smirk on her face when she saw Emma's dumbfounded expression.

It took Emma a moment to register what Hannah had just said. "What?"

"We were kids in the same foster home." Hannah told her, silently crying. "He was my Bae back then. So don't give me some crap about history, because you will not compete with me. There was once a time when we were all each other had, and we will always need each other despite you. He always comes back to me. You went to prison, he found me in Canada. You left him in Tallahassee, who do you think he called to pick him up and take him home? It's always been me. And it always will be."

"He doesn't love you." Emma said firmly. She knew that Hannah was trying to put doubt in her mind, to try and tear her apart from Neal, but she was sure about him, and she was sure that he loved her just as much as she loved him. She felt sorry for Hannah, she really did, but she wasn't going to let it happen. "He loves me and we're going to be together - "

Hannah let out a frustrated scream, before taking a deep breath and looking Emma dead in the eye. "Do you really think he's going to choose you after what you did?"

Emma sighed heavily. "And what, exactly, have I done?" she snapped.

"Gave away his child." Emma froze. Hannah smirked. "Do you know that in the state of Arizona, the biological father needs to be informed of an impending adoption. They're given a certain amount of time to decide whether or not they want to child before the decision is taken away from them and the child is put up for adoption, with or without their consent. I was living with Neal at the time... he never saw that letter, but I did."

"And you kept it from him." Emma whispered, staring at Hannah as if seeing her in a new light. Hannah shrugged.

"I knew that he wouldn't have just took in his son, he would've gone back to you. He would've wanted you to be a family. I am his family, my children will be his children. Yours is somebody else's now. If you don't leave us alone to get on with our lives, I'll tell Neal the truth."

"There's just one problem with that, you'll have to tell Neal that you've known all along that he has a child."

Hannah's smirk faded. "He's forgiven me for worse."

"He won't forgive you for that. And you know it, which is why you're here threatening me and not there telling him everything."

"I will tell him." Hannah hissed.

"Go on then." Emma urged, folding her arms across her chest, trying not to show her panic. Hannah hesitated for a moment before her expression crumbled, more tears falling down her face before she stormed out of Emma's apartment, slamming the door behind her. Emma relaxed as she heard the sobs on the other side of the door, and she knew that Hannah wasn't going to tell Neal about the baby. Those weren't the cries of someone who was about to get what they want.

...

Neal stood outside his father's shop, staring into the dark windows. His father had long since packed up and left, that much was obvious, but Neal continued to stare at the silent building, his letter - while Neal was still unhappy about it, he couldn't think of what else to write and decided to just leave it as it was - in his hand. Teddy was absently humming to himself at his side, while Clara was fast asleep in her buggy. He needed to get them home, Neal knew that, but he couldn't bring himself to move.

"Neal?" he heard from behind him. He turned to see Archie, looking at him from concern. Neal wondered how he looked in order to be on the recieving end of that expression. "Are you alright?"

"Jim-jimminy." Teddy sang, now humming the tune of 'chim chim cher-ee' to himself.

"Yeah, um..." Neal nodded, holding up the letter for the therapist to see. Archie nodded in understanding. "It was good, to get everything down I mean. I just... I can't bring myself to post it."

"It's not the act of giving the letter to who it is aimed at, it's putting down all of your thoughts and emotions onto paper." Archie said softly. "It's to help sort things in your own mind. It's for you, Neal, not for him."

Neal nodded, taking a deep breath. "A part of me want him to have it, not now but... one day, maybe. But I know that, if I take it home, I'll destroy it. He won't ever see it. And I don't think I'll be able to write another."

"Then why don't I take it off your hands?" Archie offered. "Until you feel ready?"

Neal hesitated for a moment, his grip on the letter tightening for a moment before he handed it over.

"Have a good night, Mr Cassidy." Archie said, before he walked in the direction of his home. Neal watched after him for a moment, glancing back at the shop briefly before looked down at Teddy.

"Sorry, buddy." He said, ruffling the little boy's hair.

Teddy smiled up at him. "It's okay, daddy. It was something you needed to do."

...

When they got back to the apartment, Neal found Emma and Mary Margaret lying silently on Mary Margaret's bed. He met Emma's eye and she shook her head briefly, the silence only broken by their friend's soft sobbing. Without another word, Neal took the children upstairs, knowing that he would be there for Mary Margaret in the morning.

...

AN - Okay, I'm not extremely happy with this chapter because I wasn't sure how to portray the Hannah storyline or even the sessions with Archie. I can honestly say that this chapter had been an absolute nightmare. Which brings me to the over a month wait for this chapter, I am so sorry about that. I knew exactly what I wanted to show you guys, I just didn't know how to put it down in this chapter and struggled to see whether it was actually working. Please let me know if anything isn't, I always value your guys advice and comments on my chapters.

So, were any of you expecting Neal to be the married man that Emma mentioned earlier in the story? I know that not a lot of people are going to be happy about the storyline - as I can also say that there is more to come about that as well - but I always hated that in canon the only backstory we saw of Neal was that he had met and left Emma, moved to New York and had a job where he was required to wear a suit. We know very little about Neal's past after escaping Neverland or in the time between leaving Emma and her finding him again. It's always frustrated me, and his past especially is something that I want to explore later in the story.

Reviews...

- I know, and I'm really sorry about the wait. Things have been a little hectic in my personal life, and this chapter was not one of the easiest for me to write. I just wasn't feeling it :/ I will be posting the next chapter as soon as possible, since it's already written - just need to gloss over a few things and I'll get it up for you all (said with much guilt and self-annoyance ;)).

findmywaybacktoyou - Thank you, I'm glad you like how I've portrayed Swanfire. I really wanted to keep the story, and their relationship, realistic and, with everything they've gone through and all of their unresolved issues, their relationship was never going to be perfect. I wanted to show them as a real couple; they may love each other but they fight, they come close to breaking up at some points, their relationship isn't bullet proof no matter whether it is true love or just a passing fling. Neal and Emma have a complicated past, and an even more complicated future ahead of them.

JinxedCobra - I'm sorry I've left it so long, and I hope this chapter was worth the wait.

Guest - (Chapter One) hope you've managed to reach the end and stick with us through all of the ups and the downs, and I hope that you love the story as much as you did at the beginning. Yes, Baelfire left in the portal just under three hundred years before Regina cast the curse, but he would've known all about her through August (more so in this story because he would've had more interaction with August than in canon because he stayed with Emma). August has been popping in and out of Neal's life because Neal refused to leave Emma, so he's been told all about the Evil Queen and what has become of the Enchanted Forest since Neal had been there as a child. Hope that clears it up for you.

Guest - That's the plan, but I'm focusing on this season by season - so, because I've started series one, I will definitely be finishing up til the curse is broken. I definitely plan on doing series two. As for series three and beyond, I'm not making any promises - I really want to be able to complete the entire thing, maybe even catch upto the show, but I don't want to say I'm doing series three and then get upto that point and not be able to deliver. I also really want to do a spin off which shows more of Neal and Emma's life before Storybrooke, but I want to see how this all goes down first. I think the most that could happen by the end of series two, is that I announce that I am taking a couple of months break, rather than drop the entire thing. I love this story, it's become my baby, and I want to continue with it past series three. We'll just have to see.

Guest - Thank you :D I hadn't intended to make Neal dreamy but that's good, I guess.

Dancing4every1 - Thanks :D I love writing scenes about the Cassidy family, and I can't wait to write even more. I love Teddy to bits, he's so adorable!

Bookwyrm52 - Thank you, and you will just have to wait to find out... ;)

Many Voices In My Head - I agree with Emma 100% about Valentines Day too, and I had actually planned that to be Emma's romantic guesture as well but I stopped myself because it would have been too obvious for Gold. I knew that Neal and Emma needed some hope and happiness in their lives at the moment, so I threw in a proposal (which I had also planned, but just for later on). I really wanted Neal to see only hints of his father because, as I've said before, it will be a long road to forgiveness for the two of them. So far, Neal has struggled to see anything but the dark one in Gold; giving little hints to the fact that his father could love something/someone other than his power will open Neal's eyes a little more. And there will be only one savior, and I can say that that will be Emma - the main question is, who will she be saving? I'll give a clue; Neal, Henry, Teddy AND Clara will all be in the same room as the apple turnover at the end of the series... ;) And I'm going to keep trying to clear that bar, fingers crossed I manage it.

- You're welcome, thank you for the review :)

Rainbow2.0 - Thanks :D It was one of my favourite episodes of series one and I wanted to do something good for the story, I just hope that it came across okay.

hateme101 - I didn't want Neal to find out about Belle straight away, I wanted to just give him a few little hints so show that his father was capable of caring about someone/something other than his dagger or his power. I want to explore Belle and Neal more in series two - at the moment, there is just too much for Neal to work through and, despite his curiosity, his father's past isn't as important to Neal as his family's future and how his father could impact it, and possibly (in his eyes) make it worse. Series two will be a lot better for Neal to explore more of his father's past, including Belle, and could ultimately make him see him in a whole different light. Sorry you didn't see it last chapter, but I promise that it will come up.

Aaron Leach - Thank you :D

Meresger - (Chapter Four) - I know, that is a habit for me since I am British and all I can do is apologise for that. As for the nicknames, this has already been addressed earlier but I must stress that my Neal is not the same one as in canon. He has been a father for half a decade before meeting Henry, rather than having only experienced children on Neverland like he had in canon and, to me, calling Henry 'buddy' always seemed a little awkward because he was getting to know him. In this story, he would already have that fatherly experience and would call his children a variety of things including (and please nobody hit me for saying this) 'mate'. I understand that most people contribute it to Hook which is why I try to avoid using it as much as I can, but I will slip up and have Neal saying things he wouldn't say in canon because he is a completely different (while also being the same) man to who he was when Emma and Gold found him in New York.