He took her by the hand; leading her down the narrow overgrown forest pathway to where there once lay an empty sandy beach overlooking darkened waters. The squid lay there still, with its decomposing body overtaking the sandy shore and giving off the appalling stench that Neal so vividly recalled. Emma immediately, after taking a whiff of the awful aroma that filled the air, pulled her hand out of the soft grip of Neal's and covered her nose, giving Neal a laugh.

"Man alive Neal, Did you really kill this thing?"

Neal crossing over to the far end of squid, he smirked at her question.

"Killing a Dragon is ten times more difficult, so I heard." Answering her question with banter in his voice.

Emma returned the smile as he looked behind, but Neal could read, even from a distance away, that something was distracting her as he watched her smile quickly vanish away.

"What is it?"

"Nothing. It's nothing."

He stopped in his tracks to turn around and face Emma. Placing his arms on her shoulders he gave her a soft smile.

"Don't worry Emma. I had him in my arms once and I won't rest till he is again. Just like I promised Henry that I will find him, I promise you the very same."

Emma pulled herself away with doubt spread all over her face as if she was wearing a mask.

"It's not just that Neal. It's just the fact that I have done everything for this kid since I met him. From killing that dragon, all the way to sailing through a freakish green portal to Neverland. What if all I ever done for him was all for nothing? What if he just doesn't want to come home?"

"Hope is stronger than fear Emma. You just have to believe that he will."

Kicking her foot in the sand, Emma couldn't keep her eyes on the man that stood in front of her. Neal, or Baelfire; one in the same. He was so different to her; a man she seemed to hardly know. Was it destiny that he was brought back to her a second time? Once missing, once dead; now he stood in front of her so tangible and existent. A tear trickled down her face as she pulled Neal into her arms for an embrace. She decided that she never wanted to lose him again. She sobbed in his arms for only a few tender seconds and then pulled away, wiping away not only the fear and regret of finding Henry, but the tears that fell down her cheeks and unto the sand below.

"'kay, so what about this squid ink again?" She said quickly so that she could change the subject to the more pressing issue at hand.

Neal backed away and fell on his knees near where he extracted the squid ink last time with knife in hand.

"You are just going to stand there and look pretty while I get my hands dirty, 'cuz if you touch any of this stuff it'll be a long trip back to camp hulling you over my shoulder."

"You said that it immobilizes all who are magical?"

"Ya, it mind stepping back a little bit? This stuff isn't very spray friendly."

Laughing at his sarcasm, Emma watched him continue at work. Her worrying was suddenly replaced with the belief and hope that Neal gave her. She knew that she would find her son and possibly even Tallahassee with the one person that she least expected to ever see again for the second time in her life. Only one thought kept playing in her mind as Neal was finishing up his task.

We are almost home.

"Mind grabbing a little bit extra for Regina? It would be nice to have something to control her once in a while."

"You got it."