The question gave him momentary pause. So much of his life Neal fought against the odds. While not everything went as he hoped, he always managed to survive. Survival became second nature. Maybe it didn’t last too long while stranded on Neverland, but being trapped in a place that was frozen in time kind of put a damper on any resolve a fourteen-year-old boy could manage to muster. Rumple abandoned him, Killian betrayed him, he lost Emma due to his own decision and Tamara used him for her own gain.
Every hit could’ve easily defeated him, yet Neal had a reason to keep going. Not only did Emma literally collided back into his life but they had a son. Even if he only knew Henry for a short while, he meant the world to him. And to have him kidnapped by Peter Pan of all people, it gave him more than enough reason to worry. This place alone held a plethora of horrible memories.
With Emma standing in front of him, seeing her offer a small smile in response to his words, his heart almost wavered by whatever implied meaning it took. Until she spoke, anyway. Her words held a deeper meaning than the expression pinned to her face managed to produce.
“I’m not that easy to get rid of,” Neal replied as she wrapped her arms around him. An explosion of warmth entered his chest. It was an old familiar feeling of love. True love, not the kind he thought he knew with Tamara until he laid eyes on her in New York. “You’re not the only one who’s scared. I’m terrified. Anything can happen but I won’t let us get separated again.” He pulled back a little from their embrace, bringing his hand to her face, needing to look her in the eyes, yet unable to break physical contact. “If I’ve learned anything, it’s not to let go of the people you love. You and Henry mean everything to me. Maybe you don’t believe in fate like I do, but I have to believe we’re back together now for a reason.”
"If breaking the curse and seeing how my parents are with each other taught me anything, it's that hope is a powerful thing. Still trying to get used to the whole fate thing... but same idea." Emma had a hard time seeing life through the lens of her mother. She didn't want to think every situation had a hopeful outcome. How could her mother see the hope when things looked far from hopeful? That would have to be a conversation for another time.
She found comfort in his eyes as they held each other. She vowed to never love another, and here she was opening her heart to him, even despite her fears. As tears of that very emotion-- of fear filled her eyes, she still found herself smiling at him. Falling silent just outside Dark Hallow, Emma found her eyes glancing down at his lips, and the next thing she knew, Emma was kissing him. Maybe they were moving too fast. Maybe she was moving too fast when just moments ago she confessed a secret she feared to admit. Still, Emma was learning from her past, and she didn't want to risk time getting in the way of them again if something or someone succeeded in pulling him away from her again.
“Fate kind of became an easy concept for me growing up as I did. I maybe even liked it a lot more knowing everything I went through led me to you, then back again after all this time.” Neal truly thought after Tamara shot him; he might’ve never taken another breath. He saw the woman he thought he knew from a new perspective. She cared little for their relationship of over a year, concerned more with Greg. Her obsession with magic, Emma tried to tell him but he stupidly fastened her suspicion to jealously.
The kiss came as a surprise – a welcomed surprise no matter how unexpected. Neal returned the sentiment, longing for the familiar pressure of her lips on his for far too long. The feelings surging throughout his body almost overwhelmed him, weakening any reservations he had about waiting for the right moment. “We should’ve done that a long time ago,” Neal breathed out, separating his mouth from hers for just a moment. But truly, he never should’ve left her standing in the dark, taking the blame for thievery just because Pinocchio told him to. He shook his head before kissing her once more. This time intending not to let her go ever again.










