Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Neal Cassidy did like his job. He had been working as a bartender in the small New Yorker pub for over a year now and even though he had been determined to get a better job at first, he had pushed it farther and farther back until he had just given into the joys of listening to people and being as anonymous as one could be.
The customers didn't want to hear his story (as if they would have believed him), they just wanted to talk about themselves. Share all the shitty things they had gone through that day, week, month. He would listen and refill their glass every once in a while.
It wasn't always pleasant though; there were busy nights when he would get annoyed around two in the morning when some halfwit would get too drunk and start causing trouble. Sometimes he would catch a kid with a fake ID trying to buy drinks that were too strong for their sixteen year old bodies to handle.
So that night, while finding himself a fresh shirt to wear for his Friday night shift, he was in a better mood than he should have been, considering what day it was.
His eyes briefly wandered to the calendar on his fridge, knowing that soon, it would be time for Augusts annual call. September 30th.

In just a few weeks it would be her 28th birthday. He didn't even have to think about it, his brain counted all on its own.
He wondered what her plans would be. She'd probably go out with her boyfriend (after all it would be a Saturday night, perfect for dinner and a movie) or maybe, if she was single (which he hoped for, if he was honest, though it was a selfish thought) she'd go out with friends. Then again, she had always been a loner. It had taken her some time to let him in, back in the day.
And he had betrayed her. Way to go.
But this year would be different. He remembered what August had told him year after year to make sure Neal didn't cave.
She'd see her family again. End the curse that his father had created.
This year, she would get what she really deserved.

Emma Swan would finally get her happy ending.

-

The moment Bae opened his eyes, he knew what the day would bring. He woke up because of a noise outside and heard the sharp voice of the man who had once been his father.
Bae sighed and slowly got out of his uncomfortable bed. Everything had changed ever since Rumpelstiltskin had come back from the Ogre Wars, and the year his mother had left them had been the last step his father had taken to complete insanity.
'I'll turn you into a worm! You're nothing more than that!', yelled his father and Bae closed his eyes, silently praying for a miracle. The only thing he wanted, craved for was a life far away from magic.
This curse had taken his Papa from him, had taken everything he had loved so dearly.
He left the house with an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach, which seemed to grow even worse the moment he saw what was happening outside.
Their maid sat on the dirty ground and his father stood above her, raising his hands and yelling at her. 'Papa!', he screamed, swallowed hard and came closer. 'What are you doing?'
'She deserves it, Bae!', his father answered and turned around. Bae hated the way he looked - Rumpelstiltskin’s skin was completely discolored with a golden layer that made him look like the monster he had indeed become. Somehow, he reminded Bae of a crocodile.
'The potatoes are rotten again. We need someone who will serve us adequately, son!'
And without giving Bae any more time to protest, the Dark One turned the scared woman in front of him into a thick, even more helpless, grey worm.
The people around them either stood in shock or screamed quietly. Not one of them wanted to cause the most powerful man in their realm to get even more angry. Bae himself looked at the satisfied face of his father and whispered: 'No, Papa. Please.'
He knew so well how this would end and shook his head, pleading.
But the man stepped forward and did what Bae had been afraid of - he put his enormous boot down on the disgusting animal, which died accompanied by an even more disgusting noise.
Bae swallowed again.
Why did you do that?', he asked quietly while his father was turning around and putting one of his hands on Bae's shoulder, forcing him to go back into the house.
'You know, why', his father said, his voice more gentle now, but still frightening. 'Because I want to protect you, Bae. Imagine, she would have given the potatoes to us this evening! You could have died!'
Bae shook his head again,
'You have to stop this, Papa. Everyone is afraid of you, and of me! Because they know if they deal with me, they have to fear for their lives!'
'But at least that means you are safe', his father answered, smiling at him, his eyes filled with a maniac's possessiveness. 'Nobody will ever dare to hurt you, Bae! Don't you understand that I just want to protect you?'
The boy closed his eyes for a second. He couldn't bare looking into those animal-like eyes anymore. 'But I want you to be normal, Papa! Just like the others, the ones you like to-' his voice became more quiet. ' the ones you like to torture and kill.'
'But why?', his father asked, still smiling. 'Magic is great, magic is POWER! And I still need more of it!'
They both sat down on the wooden table in the middle of the biggest room in their house. It was a constant remember of how the people feared them, thought Bae. Before his father had turned into the Dark One, they had been living in a small cabin near the harbour, but Rumpelstiltskin’s so called 'power' had changed everything.
'No, Papa. You don't! What do you need more power for?', Bae asked carefully.
'To protect you, Bae. You know, I can make all your dreams come true!'
The terrifying glint in his eyes became even more intense.
'Just wish for it and I'll-'
Bae interrupted him. 'I wish for you to be normal again. Papa, if there was a way to turn our life back to a normal one, a life that wouldn't hurt or kill anyone, would you agree?'
His fathers expression changed. He looked sad now and for a second Bae thought he could recognize a piece of his true father in the man in front of him.
'Would it make you happy?', he asked softly. Bae nodded and took a deep breath. Finally there was a chance. 'If you find a way, I'll agree', the Dark One declared and Bae smiled.
It was the first time he had smiled in a very long time.

-

It was an unusually slow night. Neal kept polishing the same glass over and over again, while leaning against the counter and counting the minutes until his shift would be over. Three more hours to go and no fun in sight.
There were only three customers. One old guy, Gus, who seemed to never even leave. Neal knew his order, just like he knew not to ask any questions.
Then there were two other guys in the corner, talking with their heads so close together they almost touched. Keeping an eye on them through the mirror over the bar, Neal noticed that they kept looking in his direction every once in a while. The one man's (boy really, he was pretty young) glasses reflected the light from the small lamp hanging above their table.
Neal didn't know what to make of them, so he just waited and made sure not to show any sign of distress. When he heard the door open and close, he had to turn around to see ...no one.
He leaned over the counter and saw a small boy with a backpack standing right in front of him.
'Hey kid, you can't be in here. You're too young.' he said gently. The boys cheeks were flushed from the cold New York wind and his brown hair was tousled.
'Are you Neal Cassidy?' the boy asked, a broad grin on his face.
Neal was used to being careful with revealing his identity. But revealing it to a kid like that could hardly be dangerous.
'Yeah, why?'
'I'm Henry,' the boy said, a cheeky glint in his eyes, 'I'm your son!'

'Why didn't you tell me? How could you not tell me, August?' he tried to keep his voice down because the kid (Henry. Did Emma pick the name?) sat not too far away, sipping orange-mango juice, a content smile on his face.
'If I had told you, the first thing you would have done was search for her.' Augusts voice was barely audible. Neal had no idea where the guy was at the moment, probably somewhere as far away from Maine as possible. 'You remember Tallahassee? I had to come over, I had to DRAG you to New York before she arrived.'
'Drag', in Neals opinion, was a very strong word. Fine, maybe he had been a little resistant when August had told him Emma was planning to come to Tallahassee (he had never stopped referring to it as 'home'. It was sentimental and maybe a little crazy, but he couldn't help himself), but in the end he had packed up and left.
'Come on man, a little warning wouldn't have hurt. I have a right to know, he is my son, after all.'
August didn't respond for too long. 'August?'
'What am I supposed to tell you now? Shall I come over? Again?' he was distinctly annoyed.
'Just tell me what to do with him. Should I bring him home?'
'I don't know. Listen, I gotta go.'
'You know what happens when you lie.' Neal warned him.
'Shut up, Baelfire.'
'Nice talking to you Pinocchio.' they both hung up at the same time.
Neal turned back to his son (his son), mentally readying himself for an anxiety attack.
Henry just looked at him curiously, patiently waiting.
'So...' Neal said slowly.
'I think I look like you!' the boy burst out happily. 'I always wondered what my parents looked like. I don't look like my mom at all.'
Apparently Henry wasn't one for the chit chat. Neal looked at his son (his son), taking in every detail of his small face.
'Actually, you have a lot from your mother.'
'Emma.' Henry said, looking as if he was testing the name, saying it out loud for the first time. 'I looked for her but I couldn't find her.'
'Well,' Neal leaned on the counter, smiling down on Henry, 'guess we have something in common.'

-

When the sky above the small village turned black, Bae left the house as quietly as possible. Although he knew his father wasn't home, he was scared the Dark One would find out about Bae disappearing into the woods at night - he wasn't the mightiest person in their realm for nothing.
Walking straight towards the dark forest, he remembered Morraine's words. His father wasn't as mighty as he, and almost everyone else, had thought; there was someone even more powerful. Reul Ghorm - the name sounded strange to him, strange and frightening.
His father scared him sometimes, but Bae always tried to remember the better times, he tried to see his father through the mask of the monster.
This Reul Ghorm though, he didn't know what it was exactly. Morraine had said that it had excess to magic more powerful than anything the Dark One could do. If Bae had learned anything about magic it was that it always came with a price. But magic also changed people, turned them evil and dangerous.
Would Reul Ghorm kill him if he asked for help? After all, he was the Dark Ones son.
The face of his father came to his mind. His scary eyes and the way he had looked at all the people he had punished for doing - nothing. Bae had to do this, had to at least try to find a way to make things go back to normal.
Bae took a deep breath and slipped into the dusky shadows of the huge trees who looked like they were about to absorb everything and everyone that came too close. His eyes got more and more used to the sudden darkness with every cautious step he took and after a few minutes he could easily avoid all the roots and branches which lay in his way like traps.
Bae hardly remembered which way he had to go and so it took him almost twice as long as it would have in the afternoon to find the clearing.
The boy stood between the circle of trees, puzzled. Morraine had told him to say Reul Ghorm's name, but he wasn't even sure if he wanted to invoke the monster. Again, the Dark One's facial expression from some hours ago came to his mind. He had killed their maid as if she were nothing more than what he had turned her into - an insect.
Bae ignored his racing heartbeat, that had nothing to do with his hike through the forest.
"Reul Ghorm..?", he almost whispered into the darkness which wasn't as silent as he had hoped for. The trees appeared to repeat his words, but much deeper and mystical. "Reul Ghorm...Re..ul.. hor..m", they echoed and Bae shivered. He was just about to leave the forest and return to his cozy bed, when a small, but powerful, blue light appeared a few feet above his head.
When it came Bae recognized  the outlines of a person, just as big as his palm, inside of the glowing orb.
"A-are you..Reul Ghorm?", he asked, somehow knowing what the small person's answer would be.
"Yes, I am. And you must be Baelfire, am I right?"
The blue light stopped in front of his face and the fairy smiled at him, gently.
The boy nodded, silently asking himself how she could possibly know his name.
"What can I do for you?"
Still being charmed by the fairy and her tiny, but emphatic voice, Bae answered: "I need your help to turn my father back into someone normal, someone without the ability to perform magic."
The fairy's gentle and loving expression faded and she started to look at him with the saddest look Bae had ever seen.
"Oh, Baelfire. I know how bad you want to turn your father back into who he once was, but I think I have to disappoint you." Bae tried to swallow his disappointment. This wasn't the answer he had hoped for at all.
"I am very sorry, but I can't take your father's magic."
The boy leaned against the tree behind him and closed his eyes. The fairy knew his pain and her expression as full of sorrow. Very hesitantly she said: But I might be able to show you another way.'
Baes eyes snapped open and he looked at the fairy, curiously waiting. 'How?' he demanded.
'You have to bring your father away from here. Bring him into a land without magic.'
'But magic is everywhere.' Bae said frowning. The blue fairy shook her head, her brown curls bouncing.
'Hold out your hand.' she urged him and when he did she dropped a perfectly clear bean onto it. 'This will open a portal that can transport you into any other realm.'
'What is this?' Bae asked, turning the bean over in his palm.
'It's the last magic bean known to fairies. Use it wisely, Baelfire and take your father far away from here. You can start over with this.' she smiled down on him.
Bae closed his fingers tightly around this most perfect gift. 'Thank you.' he breathed.
His father had struck a deal with him. And Bae would make sure he would keep it.

-

'We have to get going!' Henry shouted, rocking back and forth on his torn, blue sneakers. Neal put a hand over the phone in his hands and turned to the boy.
'We need a car to get you home. Where do you live anyway?'
'Storybrooke.'
'Storybrooke?' Cute... he thought. 'Never heard of it.'
'It's in Maine.'
'How did you get to New York, kid?' but Neal could imagine how Henry had managed. He was resourceful just like his mother.
'That's not important!' Henry slumped down on the couch and sighed deeply, his shoulders hanging. 'I hoped Emma would be with you or that you knew where to find her!'
Neal felt the smallest pinch of rejection. 'I know you want to get to know her, kid and I really wish I could help you. But your mom and I haven't seen each other for years and I doubt she would even want to see me.' he put down the phone because clearly the lady from the car rental service had forgotten him five minutes ago.
'Why did you break up? You and Emma, I mean.' Henry asked quietly.
It was a very good question. Neal thought long and hard about how he could possibly answer. After ten minutes of pressing silence, he decided it would be easiest to go with the truth, with a little bit of additional sugar coating.
'I had to let Emma go because she had to do...something,' “something” remaining undefined, 'and I would have gotten in the way.' he expected anything. Tears or more questions about the break-up or anything. What he didn't expect was Henries face lighting up and him looking absolutely excited.
'You know?!' the boy jumped to his feet.
'Know what?' Neal asked watching his son tugging at the zipper of his backpack.
'About the curse!' Henry was absolutely ecstatic. He pulled out a book and placed it on the table. 'The curse that the Evil Queen cast on the people in the Enchanted Forest!'

Chapter Text

Neal looked into the rearview mirror, not to check on the traffic but to check on Henry.
His son was fast asleep in the back of the car, covered in a fuzzy, red blanket. Henrys head was resting on his storybook, his lips slightly parted. He reminded Neal so much of Emma, with that tiny snore he made every once in a while.
They had spent hours in the car, driving all night. Neal wanted to make sure Henry would get home to his mother as soon as possible. What would happen after that, he didn't know.
He didn't want to leave the boy behind. Neal knew what it felt like to be left by his parents and Henry had had a reason to look for him and Emma. The kid didn't try to find his parents because of some story in a book, not because of some curse.
Maybe he just wanted to find out why he was given up for adoption. Neal sure as hell couldn't tell him about what he had done to Emma.
Emma.
Neal felt a punch in the gut, when he thought about how there was no way that Emma had Henry outside of jail. Neal had left the love of his life when she was pregnant with his child.

Eight hours of driving time had kept Neals mind racing. August couldn't have known that Emma was pregnant. Would he have sent Neal away and Emma to jail if he had? Did August know that Henry was adopted by the person that spoke out the curse that had caused Emma to lose her family in the first place?
How had this even happened?
Neal knew his fair share about magic and he knew that the real world and the magical world didn't mix well. It wasn't supposed to. There was a reason all these realms had been seperated in the first place.
Behind him, Henry sat up slowly. He looked about the window and smiled groggily. 'We're almost there.'
In that moment Neal spotted a sign that read „Welcome to Storybrooke'.
Henry yawned and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
'So where's home, kid?' Neal asked, watching his son through the rearview mirror.
Behind him, Henry pulled a face. 'It's not far. So, what about Emma? Will you find her and take her here?'
'I can't, I don't know where she is.' they arrived in the centre of the town, a huge building with a clock tower looming over them.
'But she needs to come here! She needs to break the curse and fight the evil queen!'
Neal didn't know a whole lot about parenting but he was sure that he was actually supposed to tell Henry that he was just imagining things. After all the curse thing sounded a little crazy. However, Henry was right. There was a curse and Emma was the person to end it. And Neal sure as hell wouldn't make his own son feel crazy.
'I might know a way to find her. Don't worry about it, we'll get her to come here.' Neal smiled briefly through the mirror and Henry leaned back in the car seat, obviously more relaxed.
'Okay. Make a right turn on Mifflin Street.' he said happily.
Only minutes later Henry made him stop infront of a huge house. 'You live here?' Neal asked trying to keep his tone from sounding too incredulous.
'My mom is the Evil Queen.' Henry explained patiently, 'She cast the curse and now everyone is stuck.'
That sounded more like something of his fathers making, Neal thought.
Neal got out of the car and walked up to the house, but before he could even get close to the door, it was thrown open. A tall, dark haired woman stood in the door frame, her eyes red and her cheeks flushed.
'Henry!' she cried out and ran towards the little boy, right past Neal as if he wasn't even there.
She threw her arms around Henry and pressed him to her. 'I was worried sick!' she said, her voice muffled by Henrys scarf. 'Are you okay?' she finally asked. She held the boy at arms length and looked at him. 'Where have you been?'
Henry bit his lip and pulled away from the woman. 'I was trying to find my real mom.' Without another word he ran into the house, running past a young man in sheriffs attire.
'I'll just go check on the lad, make sure he's all right.' he said, his expression unreadable while he focused on Neal for a second. When he walked back inside the woman stared at Neal, obviously confused.
'And who are you?' she finally asked.
'I'm Henry's father,' he answered carefully, 'name's Neal.'
The woman nodded slowly, forcing a smile on her face. 'Regina Mills, I'm the Mayor of this town.'
Neal wondered how often she had introduced herself as such because it sounded as if she had practiced it to perfection.
'Yeah, the kid told me.' he explained, burrowing his hands in the pockets of his jeans. They stood together in awkward silence until Regina asked: 'Can I offer you a glass of the best apple cider you ever tasted?'
Neal remembered what Henry had told him. Regina, the Evil Queen, who poisoned Snow White with an apple.
'No thanks, I'm good. I better find myself a place to stay.'
'Stay?' Regina repeated her tone and facial expressione everything but amused.
'I was up all night. I want to get some sleep before I go back to New York.'
Regina turned to the house. 'New York, you say?' she took a deep, shuddering breath and turned back to Neal. 'Fine. But I must ask you to stop by again tomorrow, I think there are plenty of things we need to talk about.'
'Sure.' Neal didn't look forward to that conversation. He could imagine what Regina had to tell him.
In that moment the sheriff came down the stairs, smiling. 'Don't worry about him, Regina. Other than being a tired little boy, he is fine.'
'Good. I'll see you tomorrow then.' Regina said to no one in particular and walked back inside, slamming the door shut. The two men stood in the dark of the night.
'Graham.'
'Neal.' he said shaking the hand the sheriff had extended to him.

-

The next morning Bae woke up with an excited smile on his face. He couldn't wait for his father's reaction when he would tell him about the chance they got. Hesitantly he slipped his hand under the warm fabric of his pillow and closed his fingers around the clear, tiny bean.
From the moment he had touched it the first time, it had been warm and radiated some kind of reassuring energy. It seemed as if the bean wanted to give him the power and bravery he needed to go through with his plan.
Rumplestiltstkin, already awake, was cutting a loaf of bread when Bae stepped into the main room of their house.
'How was your night?', his father asked without looking up.
Bae glanced at him, feeling a painful knot in his stomach. Why did his father ask him about his night? Did he know something?
'Fine, I guess', Bae answered and tightened his grip around the bean.
'The forest ist cold at night. Better bring a coat next time.'
Bae swallowed hardly. 'Why do you think I was in the forest?', he asked with a shaky voice.
'I am the Dark One, Bae, it's impossible to hide anything from me. What about this bean in your hand?'
Bae noticed something strange and unfamiliar in his father's tone.
'I found a way', the boy started as confident as possible. 'A way to get rid of magic!'
Finally, the Dark One sotpped cutting the bread and slowly turned around.
Unwillingly, Bae held his breath. The frightening expression in Rumplestiltskin's eyes made him almost doubt his plan.
'Oh, you did?', his father said and chuckled the way Bae hated so much. He didn't take his words seriously, Bae thought and slowly opened his hand.
'A fairy gave this to me. It can take us to a land without magic!', Bae said his voice shakinmg a little with excitement.
The Dark One's expression changed. He came closer and took the bean between his fingers.
Bae noticed a shadow of something- was it fear?- in his father's cold eyes.
'A land without magic? One without power, you mean?'
The boy couldn't swallow his anger any longer. Immediately he snagged the bean from his Papa's hand and snapped: 'You promised me! You promised to take the chance if I found a way!'
Bae felt tears of disappointment filling up his eyes. He couldn't bare this monster anymore.
He knew his true father would have reacted differently. Quickly he wiped away the tears and his eyes searched for Rumplestilstkin's.
The Dark One responded his glimpse, now more gentle and softer than before. 'Tell me, Bae. Is this what you want?', he asked quietly.
After all, tears seemed to work, he thought bitterly and nodded.
'All I want is to be with my Papa again', he whispered and dropped his gaze.
For a few moments they both stood in complete silence - the small, thin boy dressed in his oversized cloak and his father, the Dark One, covered in a rich man's clothes, looking at his son.
'Then I won't be in your way. I-' Rumplestilskin broke off and slowly shook his head, his hair surrounding his face.
Bae looked up and came closer. 'Papa', he breathed desperately, watching his father gradually raising his eyes. Suddenly they were full of tears and the man who finally seemed to be his Papa again spoke under his breath.
'I will follow you to this land, Bae'

-

'Coffee, black, sugar on the side.' Ruby said cheerfully when she sat the cup down infront of him. Neal tried to return her smile weakly, but he was too tired to do anything else than drink.
'Thank you.' he said and the young woman returned to the counter, swinging her barely covered hips, making every man in the room stare at her, whether they wanted to or not.
Granny's diner was a very nice, comfortable place. Graham had recommended it though Neal had the distinct feeling that there was literally no other bed and breakfast in this entire town. He leaned back into the very comfy seat of the small booth and looked out the window. Storybrooke was definitely a quiet town, so far he had only seen a handful of people. Most of them were inside the diner, to get breakfast.
When Neal looked outside he didn't see a cursed town, full of cursed people. Maybe Henry was wrong. Why would the boy end up in this exact town? He took a sip of coffee and stifled a yawn.
Past the window walked a man. A man with a cane.
Neal almost spat out his coffee.
Rumplestiltskin.
His father.
His father was here in Storybrooke.

-

Bae followed his father through the forest as quick as possible. He didn't want to lose any more time and was also afraid of his Papa changing his mind again. The boy knew him way too well, but tried to keep up his optimism.
'Where do you want to do it?', his father asked, going further into the darkness.
'It doesn't matter. The bean will take us to the land without magic from anywhere I think.'
Rumplestiltskin stopped in the middle of his walk.
'Why didn't you say that before?', he asked, looking at his son just long enough to make Bae recognize a certain insecurity in his eyes.
Slowly, the boy stepped forward and put down the small, clear bean on top of the soft grass in front of them before returning to his father's side. They both stared at the bean without exactly knowing what to expect from it to do.
'Did the fairy,' The Dark One almost spit out the last word, 'tell you what to do?'
Bae slowly shook his head and didn't take his eyes off of the bean. He believed in what Reul Ghorm had told him. It would work. Gradually the bean started to sink into the moss. It almost disappeared and Bae was afraid it would be completely gone within seconds when a small green circle of light started to show up around the bean. It grew bigger and bigger and started to absorb the grass, the flowers, the tree's roots around as if they weren't existing. Bae felt the urge to step forward, into the green vortex, but his father held him back. Rumplestiltskin's eyes were wide with shock, he stared at the portal as if it would attack him if he got too close.
'Bae, no!', he shouted.
The vortex started to look like a small hurricane coming from the ground. It made a strange sound, got as big as their table and came closer, about to suck they both in.
'Papa, we have to go in there!', Bae screamed, taking his father's hand and pulling him closer to the portal. 'No! This is a trick, it'll tear us apart, Bae!'
The Dark One seemed to be more than afraid of leaving their world through the vortex but didn't let go of Bae's hand. But the boy stepped forward, determined of leaving this world, where his father could do magic.
'No it's not! It'll be fine, Papa, I promise!', he cried out, looking back into Rumplestiltskin's eyes.
Bae slipped and noticed the portal getting smaller and smaller while his father stabbed his dagger into the ground to keep himself from sliding into the portal as well.
'We have to go through! What are you doing?', he yelled, trying to relax the Dark One's grasp.
But his father grabbed him even firmer.
'It won't give us any more time, let's go!' Bae tried to pull his Papa into the portal, his own legs already covered in the green whirl.
'I can't!', Rumpletiltskin shouted frantically.
'It's the only way we can be together!' his son answered, taking a quick look behind him, the portal was about to close. Bae's despair turned into anger. His father wasn't anymore than-
'YOU COWARD! You promised me! Don't stay here!', he screamed, tears filling up his eyes again. Tears of anger and fear of entering the new world without his Papa by his side.
'I have to!' Rumplstiltskin's voice broke and suddenly his son lost his grip.
Desperately the Dark One tried to reach out for Bae's hand again but it was too late.
'PAPA!', the boy screamed, almost completely covered by the green light. He fell deeper and deeper, losing the sight of his father.

Bae didn't care where the portal would take him.
It was all senseless now. Wherever he would end up, he would be alone. The fairy had said it was the last bean in the realm so there was no way back. No way of seeing his Papa ever again. He closed his eyes, covered them with his hands and wept bitterly.

-

'You're leaving?'
Neal turned around and met the eyes of his son. He looked so sad, it almost broke Neals heart. He knew the look on the boys face.
'Henry,-'
'No! You need to stay here! We need to find Emma and break the curse!' Henry shouted, coming closer. Neal realized that the boy should have been at school at that time of the day.
'Look, I can't-'
'You have to!' Henry interrupted him again. 'No one believes me. My mother thinks I'm crazy and makes me see a shrink and he doesn't believe me either. I need your help! You know that the curse is real, you have to know! You need to help Emma break the curse and return everyone home to the enchanted forest!'
He knelt down infront of his son. Henry was the same height Neal had been when he had been ten years old.
'If I stay, I get in trouble. There is someone here who can't know that I exist.'
The hurt look on Henry's face didn't fade, but now he looked a little curious as well. 'How can you know someone from here?'
'I...', Neal didn't know how to explain. His first instinct told him to lie, make up some weird story that included saving puppies from burning buildings or something, but really? He would never want his own father to lie to him (not that it was an option).
'I'm from the same place everyone else is from. My father is here, in this town and I can't meet him.'
Henry's eyes widened. 'Who is he?'
Neal couldn't help it, he had to smile. 'Rumplestiltskin.'
They looked eachother in the eye. 'Please don't go.' Henry repeated quietly. 'I need you.'
If the curse would break, the first thing Rumpelstiltskin would do, would be trying to find his son. And Neal would not be far away, in fact he would be right in the very town his father had been trapped in for 28 years.
But if Neal would leave his own son behind, he could never forgive himself.
'I'll stay. We'll find Emma and break the curse, okay?'
Henry threw his arms around Neals neck and hugged him tightly. 'Thank you!' the boys smile was bright when he finally let go.
'Don't you have school now?' Neal asked and gently ruffled Henrys hair.
'Can you take me?'
Henry held his small hand out and looked up at his father. Neal didn't hesitate, he took the boys hand. 'Sure. We have to make a plan anyways.'
'We have to find a codeword for it!' Henry dragged him along, jumping up and down happily. 'We can call it operation cobra, so no one knows what we talk about!'
Neal laughed wholeheartedly. 'You're right kid, we should do that.'
Operation Cobra...good name.

Chapter Text

Emma Swan was hard to find. Neal and Henry had finally managed to pick up on her through a website called 'Who's your Momma.com' which charged hell of a lot of money for their service, but if Emma's name and address were the result, Neal was fine with paying up.
Now he sat in a tiny café across the street of Emma's place, waiting. There had been no lights on in her apartment from what he could see, so she must have been out. He took a sip of his watery cappuccino and just managed not to grimace.
His phone vibrated in his pocket. It was Henry sending him a message from a borrowed phone. Miss Mary-Margaret Blanchard, Henry's teacher, had been so kind to lend him hers so they could stay in touch. Little did she know, that Neal was on his way to take her daughter to her.
He probably wouldn't have believed in Henry's fairytale story, had he not seen his father and had he not known just how dangerous and how powerful magic could truly be.
Neal could imagine his father creating a curse like this, if only to torture the people around him, but why had he created it in such a way that even the dark one himself could not remember who he was? And why not cast it himself?
He really didn't feel like reading Henry's storybook right now, knowing that, eventually, he would find himself on the musty pages.
A sudden flash of colour caught his interest. A yellow Volkswagen parked in front on Emma's building. He knew that car, he had left it to her all those years ago.
The door on the drivers side opened and a woman got out. It was unmistakeably his Emma and she had grown into hell of a woman.
A short, red dress clung tightly to her skin and once she locked the car, she walked towards her building in heels so high, he could barely believe she could keep herself upright. She pulled open the doors, almost dropping a little box she was carrying.
When she had disappeared inside, Neal noticed that he had stared like an idiot, his mouth hanging slightly open. He would have to talk to her. Now.
The reality of the situation crept inside him, feeding on his fears like a monster.
He had left her. For all she knew, it was his fault that her life had gone so horribly wrong, which was not even far from the truth. She would never, ever, in a million years, give him a chance to explain. He wouldn't give himself a chance.
The phone vibrated again. Thankful for the moment of distraction he answered.
'So? Did you find her?'
Neal sighed deeply, staring at the entrance of the apartment building. 'I found her.'
'Did you talk to her?' Henry sounded excited.
'Not yet. I don't really know what to say.' he had told Henry everything, the entire story. Well, not the entire entire story, but enough for the boy to understand that things were not as easy as just walking up to Emma and telling her that she was the long lost daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, destined to break a curse that was created by his, Neal's, father and cast by the Evil Queen, who, incidentally, happened to have adopted Emma's and Neal's son almost eleven years ago.
'Just tell her...', Henry hesitated, 'just tell her you know where her parents are and that they are in trouble?'
'She would never believe me.' which was ironic since that wasn't even a lie.
'Then tell her, that I'm in trouble. Tell her my mom is terrible and that I need to meet my real mother.'
'Henry? Whom are you talking to?' a voice that was unmistakeably Regina’s asked in the background.
'I have to go. Talk to her!' Henry urged and hung up.

Portland, Oregon, 12 years ago

Neal Cassidy couldn't think of anything less comfortable than the back seat of a Volkswagen.
His back ached and he had to lie down in a very inhuman position, his legs crossed and his head covered with his hood.
There was no other place for people like him, thieves and pickpockets, whose wanted-posters were spread all over the surrounding towns. He sighed and turned around to find a more comfortable position.
There he was, all by himself, trying to sleep in a stolen car which, hopefully, would start the next day and get him out of town, maybe even out of the state but the stolen key, he had gotten from the drunken guy in the bar at the corner, didn't guarantee the yellow bug would actually work.
After all Neal was pleased with the situation. He had a place to sleep and a way to travel through the states without getting caught, given that this car would stay with him for a while.
For now the most important thing, was to get some rest. He hadn't slept properly for a pretty long time because he had always been on the run from the police.
Those damn cops, he thought, should perhaps concentrate on the bigger fishes than on guys like him who didn't cause any real harm.
It was one of his principles to never hurt someone committing his 'crimes'.
He had never stolen a woman's purse nor had he threatened someone with a knife – if he had learned one thing from his father's behaviour, it was that he'd never use violence against anyone.
His father. Another thought that would keep him from falling asleep. He sighed again and tried to think of something else. Anything, except his childhood.
Not long after that, Neal woke up from a strange, unfamiliar sound. He didn't move and realized after a few seconds that someone was trying to unlock the car on the driver's side.
Not the cops again, he thought, staying in his damned uncomfortable position and waiting for the door to open.
To his surprise it wasn't an officer who sat down on the front seat, but a girl with a blond ponytail, red lips and black glasses whose profile he could make out from his position easily.
She was actually quite pretty, although Neal wasn't sure if he considered her so because he hadn't found himself that close to a girl in a long time.
The blonde put her hand bag on the co-driver's seat, opened it and seemed to search for something when Neal could finally see her face better. She was young, the make-up around her big, green eyes not helping much to age her up.
She just broke into 'his' car and – seemed to be about to start the it with a screwdriver that she pulled out of her bag with a mischievous smile.
Silently Neal hoped that it would work, he didn't mind spending a little bit more time in the small car with a pretty girl like her. Even when said pretty gril was, in fact, a car thief.
The girl put the screwdriver into the key hole and hit its back with an object Neal couldn't identify, then she took a quick look outside the window and a few seconds later the car started with a roaring hum.
For a car that small it was pretty loud. After another quick glance into the back window the girl drove away from the silent back alley Neal had parked the car in. Now that they were driving, he thought it best to reveal himself and sat up to his full height.
'Impressive. But really, you could've just asked me for the keys.' he smiled, still wearing his hood.
The girl jumped in her seat, her eyes wide with shock Neal noticed through the rear view mirror, and turned around.
Neal decided to calm her. 'Just drive. It's fine.' he said, still smiling.
'I just stole your car. Your life could be in danger.' she answered, sounding anything but terrifying.
'Neal Cassidy', he introduced himself.
'Yeah, I'm not telling you my name.' she answered, obviously still trying to cope with the situation.
'No, I don't need it to have you arrested when the robbery is in the progress.'
Neal knew that he got her.
'Emma. Swan', she resigned, persistently looking out the front window.
'Good name', Neal replied, instantly regretting it. Good name? How casual and stupid that had sounded. He tried to keep his poker face but noticed the blonde rolling her eyes. He was definitely out of practice when it came to flirting.
'So ... Do you just...live in here or are you just waiting for the car to be stolen?' the girl asked, her tone sarcastic.
'I'll tell you over drinks?' he tried.
'Excuse me?'
She turned around, obviously surprised and made Neal point out a STOP-sign in front of them. 'Hey. Eyes on the road!'
The last thing he wanted was to get stopped by one of those stupid cops, but it was too late – the girl had overseen the sign, passing the cross way too fast.
She licked her lips, nervously. 'I-I'm not having drinks with you!', she stuttered, 'You might be a pervert.'
'I might be a pervert,' Neal made a gesture that made sure he wasn't taking her seriously, 'but you are definitely a car thief.'
'I said I was sorry.' Her cheeks turned a little pink and again she looked at him through the rear view mirror.
'You didn't. Actually.' he answered, still watching her from the back seat.
Suddenly a siren interrupted their discussion and Neal swallowed hardly. A police car was following them, signalizing Emma to stop the car.
They both looked at it in shock. 'Dammit.' she hissed, driving the car to the pavement.
'That's why I said 'Eyes on the road'!' Neal mumbled, covering his face with both hands, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. This day had already been too long.
When the car finally stood still, he realized the screwdriver was still in the key hole. Definitely a giveaway.
'Screwdriver!' he whispered, leaning forward and exchanged it with the car key.
Just in time, the officer reached the yellow bug and Emma put one arm out of the opened window, trying to play cool.
'Licenses and registration.' the big man said in a monotonous voice. This guy had probably had a longer day than Neal, a hard time with all kinds of assholes and idiots, trying to get out of trouble.
Emma glanced at him, smiled widely and answered with an unsure 'Hi!' that sounded more suspicious than any excuse Neal had ever used. She would be a terrible liar, he was sure of that.
Again, he leaned forward, much closer to the blonde this time, and gave a charming smile to the police man.
'Terribly sorry, officer. But this is actually my car. I'm just trying to...hum...,' he desperately searched his mind for an excuse that would sound believable,'...teach my girlfriend how to drive stick.'
'She's got a lot to learn.' the officer said, looking away from them.
Neal knew, he got him and continued. 'I know. But you know... Women.' he said, pulling a face that hopefully said 'they just can't drive, forgive them'. The girl shot him a very dirty look but he ignored it.
The man hesitated, clearly unsure about how to deal with them.
His eyes went from Neal to Emma and back when he finally said: 'Yeah, I get it. It's a warning – this time.' and went back to his car.
'Yeah. Thank you so much!' Neal answered, visibly relieved and climbed onto the co-driver's seat.
'What are you? Some sort of misogynist?' the blonde said, and he took from her tone she was happy about the outcome of their situation.
'You're welcome. Now go. We got lucky.'
The girl stopped in the middle of starting the car again and looked at him, unsure and even a bit suspicious. 'We?'
A sudden shadow of realization appeared in her eyes. Whoops.
'This isn't your car either, is it?' Emma asked, glancing at him, her eyes widening behind the rim of her glasses.
He didn't answer but raised his eyebrows, not sure how to answer her question.
'I stole a stolen car.' she added, her tone speaking of utter disbelief. Neal smiled at her, a smile that hopefully didn't look taunting or mean.
'Now how about that drink?'

-

Boston, Massachusetts, present day

Emma Swan fell, more so than walked, inside her apartment. Immediately she held on to the wall next to her and got rid of her extremely uncomfortable shoes. What she didn't give for letting the right guy to rot in prison, she thought when she made her way into her very empty kitchen. She liked to think of her style of living as spartanic. It was easier to move from place to place when all your belongings fit into the back of your car, she had learned that a long time ago. She wasn't very sentimental and only held on to a few necessary things.
She put a small carton box from that really amazing bakery right around the corner on the kitchen counter and opened it. Inside sat a perfect, beautiful little cupcake, cream filling and thick, sweet sugar coating. It was her birthday after all.
She put a little, blue, star shaped candle inside it and lit it up. One wish. Every year the same wish.
Maybe it would come true this time.
She closed her eyes and blew out the candle.
A sudden knock on the door startled her and for a moment she didn't know what to do. Maybe wishing upon a blue star wasn't all that crazy?
She walked toward the door – she had to take moment to breathe a straighten her back - and opened it.
Her mouth fell open. Right in front of her stood the one person she had searched for, for eleven years.
'Neal?!' she exclaimed.
Even though he looked nervous, the smile she knew so well crept over his face. 'Emma' he said, his tone gentle as it always had been.
He was almost tempted to slam the door shut again when a wave of panic washed through her, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. Neal had found her.
'What are you doing here?' she finally managed to say, her voice embarrassingly breathless.
'Looking for you, of course. Can I come in? It's really important.'
Of course it was, why else would he come back? She finally took a step back and let him in, holding the door open, convinced that she would regret it soon enough.

'Your place is nice. A little empty, but nice.' Neal said, walking around. 'You have quite the view.' he said, stopping in front of one of the huge windows.
'Why are you here, Neal?' Emma asked, her tone slightly sharper than she had meant it to be.
'Well, first of all, to say Happy Birthday, I guess.' he said, giving her a weak smile.
Emma looked at the cupcake of the counter, shrugging it off. 'Thanks. What else?'
'It's a really long story, maybe we should sit down.'
'A long story?' Emma asked, sudden anger flaring up inside her chest. 'Well, why don't you start with telling me where you were, eleven years ago, when you left me standing at the train station like an idiot, only to get me arrested? Why don't you start there?!'
Neal visibly swallowed hard and buried his hands in the pockets of his jacket.
'I didn't get you arrested Emma. I didn't know that this would happen to you, I swear.' he said weakly.
'Oh, so you just left me and someone else got me arrested then? Is that what you're saying?' for just a tiny moment she felt tears build up behind her eyes but she shook the feeling off, embracing the anger more than the sadness.
'Listen, just let us sit down and I'll explain it all to you, if you let me.'
Emma didn't say anything for a while, she just stood there, her arms crossed infront of her chest. She told herself to get through this one deep breath at a time.
Finally she sat down on the couch, looking at Neal expectantly. 'Go on. We talk.'
One conversation, just to clear things up. Then Neal would leave and maybe, just maybe, she could finally move on.

-

He opened the door of the small diner they had found after searching for a place to calm down from their ‘adventure’ and held it open for Emma.
After all, he hadn’t forgotten about how to behave like a gentleman.
With a surprised but thankful look the blonde girl stepped in and Neal followed her, not able to resist taking a look at her backside.
'Where do you wanna sit?' she asked and Neal kept to himself being a gentleman. 'You decide.'
She sat down on a small table in front of a window that seemed to be perfect for two people.
He took the seat opposite her and realized this was his chance to finally look at her face for longer than a few seconds.
'So, what are you?' she asked, taking the words right out of his mouth.
'I am no rapist' he answered, winking at her and taking the menu card in his hands.
'I see. That’s exactly what a rapist would say, though.' she said pointedly.
'Now it’s my turn to ask.' Neal said, leaning back on his comfortable chair, still looking at her.
'Since when do we take turns?'
He ignored her protest and continued studying her face. Her ponytail was brushed back straight with none of her blonde hairs falling into her eyes or distracting from her face.
'Stop staring at me.' she muttered and Neal noticed that she started to blush, obviously feeling uncomfortable.
'You won. I’ll answer your question. So?'
Neal smiled and gave the menu card to her, their fingers touching for a second and she blushed even more.
'How old are you? I mean, just in case I’m going to get you arrested.'
Emma glanced at him angrily. 'You can’t do me any harm. You’re a criminal yourself and-'
He interrupted her.
'Just answer the question, Emma.'
It was the first time he called her by her name and the name felt good on his tongue.
'You’re not a police officer but you definitely sound like one.' she said and bit her lower lip, probably unsure how to answer his question.
'I am 20.' she finally said, not looking at him.
'Yeah, of course. And I am 30. Come on, I only got your name and the fact that you’re single. Don’t I deserve a little bit more?'
Emma leaned forward, focussing on him.
'I didn’t say I was single, Neal.' her voice again had a very threatening tone.
'Otherwise you would have reacted differently to me pretending you’re my girlfriend.' he smirked leaning forward, too.
Emma speaking out his name made him sure she knew how to play that game.
'I'm seventeen.' she admitted, looking down on the table again.
'You’re quite young. Why aren’t you at school then? Meeting your friends?' he asked, watching her reaction. 'I don’t go to school. I’m just like you. A thief, an ‘outlaw’.'
Neal laughed. 'Outlaw? What a flattering name for a pickpocket.'
Luckily she responded with a hesitant smile.
'You know this isn’t about adventures but about survival?'
Before she was able to answer, a waitress appeared.
'Did you decide already?' she asked, chewing gum and staring at the notepad in her grease stained fingers.
'Two cups of cocoa, with whipped cream and a little bit of cinnamon, please.' Neal ordered.
Again, Emma looked at him as surprised as if he had just told her fish could fly.
'Why do you order for me? I’m pretty good at doing this myself.' she complained while crossing her arms in front of her chest.
'Trust me and try this.' he smiled. 'It’s a secret I don’t offer to anyone. Do you even have money to pay?'
His words made her blush again and she shook her head, her ponytail moving left and right.
'See? Of course girls – women,' he corrected himself, 'have to be independent, but it’s not that bad to enjoy being invited by a guy every once in a while.'
'It’s my turn again.' she changed the subject. 'Do you live in your car? Or do you just wait for young girls to steal it?'
'Right now,I do live in my car, yes. It's really uncomfortable though, I think I sprained something.'
'I didn’t sleep properly for like a month.' Emma said, yawning demonstratively .
'It’s dangerous outside for a girl. Especially in the streets of Portland.' he said. Certainly if she had made it this long, Emma knew how to take care of herself, but still. Drunk men, were drunk men and young girls were their victims.
The waitress returned and put two hot cups of chocolate on the table, taking a quick glance at Neal who seemed to scare the girl in front of him. The last thing he needed was a complaint to the police because of harassment.
Emma put her hands around the cup, not looking away from his face for a second. She seemed to think about his words. It took the blonde almost five minutes to figure out whether to trust or mistrust Neal.
'Okay, if I have to choose between your offer and another night on a side walk covered with old newspapers, I think I know how I decide.' she finally said and took a sip from her cocoa.
'I started to worry you might stab that knife into my guts.' Neal said smirking but Emma didn't seem to listen.
She just stared down at her cup. 'This is really good, you know?' she said, darting her eyes up at him.
'I told you, you can trust me.' he said winking at her. The tiniest blush turned her cheeks pink. Embarrassed, Emma straightened in her seat, crossing her slender arms once again.
'Whatever.'
They sat in silence for a while, both sipping their hot chocolate and staring around aimlessly. When Neal had emptied his cup, he leaned back in his seat, smiling at his new companion. Because that's what she was. He was a thief boy and she was a thief girl, a talented one at that, so it was really inevitable.
'What are we going to do now?' he asked to which Emma raised her brows.
'We?' she echoed.
'We. You and I.'
The girl hesitated. 'Part ways, I guess?'
Neal frowned. 'What for? It wouldn't benefit either of us, would it? We can work together. We can share the car, if you want to.'
Emma huffed. 'I thought women are too stupid to drive?'
Neal shook his head. 'Don't be like that. I was just blowing smoke so the guy would let us go.'
'You could have said something else.'
'I will. From now on, I will never say anything against women’s driving.'
Emma didn't look very convinced. 'I don't know you, you could be anyone.'
'I am anyone. I'm a,' he lowered his voice and leaned over the table, closer to her, 'a thief, just like you. It will be easier for us if we work together. Safer.'
Their eyes locked. Emma bit her lower lip, obviously arguing with herself.
'So, we'd be a team?'
'A team.'
'Like Bonny and Clyde?'
'Practically, but without the dying part.' Neal said, smiling broadly.
'I'll think about it.' Emma finally gave in.
Neal got up from his seat, leaving a few bills on the table. 'I'll get us something to eat for the drive.'
'I said I'll think about it! That's not a yes.'
'Whatever.' he said, grinning.
They both knew she had already made her decision.

-

'So what you're saying is that you left me, because someone told you he could take me to my parents?' her tone was exasperate and rightfully so. Though it was not a lie, it was more of a half-truth. Neal couldn't tell her about August, he couldn't tell her about the fairytales, not yet anyways.
'I thought I was doing the right thing. I know you always wanted to get back to your family and I couldn't stand in your way.'
Emma took a deep, shuddering breath. 'Well,' her voice was thick with surpressed tears, 'he lied to you. I never met my parents.'
'I know that now. And I can't apologize enough for what I did to you.' he made sure to look her in the eyes when he said it. She needed to know he was honest.
'doesn't change anything.' Emma said after a moments hesitation, 'are we done now?'
'No. There's another thing.' he had to take a deep breath, steel himself. 'I'm here about our son.'
Emma's face lost all colour. 'I don't-'
'Yeah, you do. Listen, this is not about you and me. It's just about the boy. He came to me a few weeks ago, looking for you.' he said hastily. 'He's unhappy. His adoptive mom is a real piece of work. He needs you.'
Emma shook her head. 'No, he doesn't.'
'He does,' Neal looked at her, 'he's our kid and he needs to know who we are. He wants to meet you, more than anything.'
'I gave him up, I had my reasons for it.'
'I know that, Emma.' Neal sighed. 'I know why you did it. He knows why you did it, he's not angry or anything, just sad. You know how it is, with adoptions.' it was a hit under the belt, but he had to do it.
'So what do you want me to do, pack my stuff and move to wherever he lives?'
Well, yes.
'No, of course not. He doesn't live too far from here. Just meet him, say hi to him.' he was really working hard here.
'I don't think he'll be happy about the person he meets, honestly.' Emma burst out.
'Maybe you should let him decide about that.' they looked eachother in the eye. 'Listen, I don't want you to uproot your life or anything. I just want Henry to have a chance to meet his mom, find out where he comes from, that kind of stuff. Give him what we never had.' it was the lowest he could sink, and he really wanted to kick himself in all the painful places once he had said it.
Emma swallowed hardly. 'For the record: you and me? Not a thing. I'm doing it for the kid.'
Neal nodded. 'I know. Thank you, Emma.'
'Just let me change okay?' Emma said, getting up. Only now Neal noticed the huge stain on her dress.
'Not a good date?' he asked, smirking.
'You have no idea.' Emma said, walking into another room, the tiniest smile on her lips.