Second chance in Tallahassee

After August told him about Emma's real identity, Neal decided on another course of action and forced August to agree to it.

Neal had been staring at the piece of paper with his real name on it for a few seconds when the man who introduced himself as August told him his plan. He wanted Emma to get a do-over, to go in jail for stealing the watches and to get out a new woman, ready to face her destiny and to break the curse.

Baelfire.

he had stopped being this boy a long time ago, giving up the name when he came back from Neverland to discover that he was alone. that he had been gone from this world for over 200 years and that he Darlings were now all gone, that he had no more friend or family to count on. He had stopped being Baelfire when he decided to do what he needed to survive in this strange world, when he had decided to try and stop thinking about his father, to stop missing him and to stop regretting his decision to leave him.

Now this man, Pinocchio, came and wanted him to give up the only good thing in his life just so he could feel better about his mistakes? Could he really do this? Let Emma go to jail for him? He loved her, that was for sure. he loved her more than he had ever loved anyone and now that man wanted him to leave her, to break her heart? Was it selfish of him to want to stay with Emma?

"What about us? I'm just supposed to leave her? Forget that I love her? Forget our plans for the future?" Neal asked Pinocchio.

"It's the only solution to get her back on the right track." August nodded.

"No, it's not. There has to be another solution, another way... If I leave her now and wait until she broke the curse to get her back, meaning in about 10 years according to what my father predicted and he's never wrong with these kind of things, she'll never forgive me and I'll never get her back. I can't have that. I can't lose her too." Neal shook his head.

"You made it clear that you didn't want to go to Storybrook and face your father. What else is there? She needs to get on the right track, to become the savior she was always supposed to be." August insisted.

"I can't be without her for over 10 years." Neal protested weakly before he sighted and added "She doesn't even believe in fairy tales and happy endings. How are you going to make her believe after going to jail for who knows how long because of something she didn't do? How are you going to make her believe in happy ending when you take away the only good thing she's had in her life so far?"

"I'll figure it out." August replied confidently.

"Like you took care of her until now? Be serious. You admitted yourself that you're not good at resisting temptations. What makes you think that you won't fail her again? How can I trust you to know that you'll do what's best for her?" Neal asked him, feeling like he had found an argument to win.

"What other option is there than to try it my way?"

"Let us go with our plan. We'll start our lives over in Tallahassee with the money I got for the watches like we planed and we'll settle down. I'll slowly try to get her to believe, I'll tell her my story, you can even stay in touch, find us once we're settled down and introduce yourself to her... You obviously have issues to work on as well... Just... please, I can't lose her." Neal argued.

"You want to start over in Tallahassee? You think you can get her to believe?" August asked him and Neal could see that he was slowly convincing him.

"Yes, I do. Given time I can. I'll manage to get her to believe before it's time for her to break the curse." Neal nodded.

"And I'm just supposed to leave?" August asked him.

"No. If you're really Pinocchio, the fact that you left Emma when you were supposed to guide her isn't going to be good for you. I'm guessing that the only reason you're still of flesh is because of the curse... Once Emma breaks it, you'll go back to being wooden. You could come with us, or join us once we're settled. Make up for your failure in her past and watch after her in the future." Neal suggested.

"You're wiser than I thought." August nodded.

"Well, I'm over 200 years old really so I guess I should be. I've grown up a lot while I was trapped in Neverland." Neal smiled.

"Fine. Here is my cell phone number. Call me once you've settled down. Just know that if I find out that you've lied to me and that you're stealing with her again, I'll find you and I'll make you pay, no matter who your father is." August said as he handed a piece of paper to Bealfire before he went back on his motorcycle and drove away, hoping that trusting the Dark One's son was the right move.

.

Once August left, Neal went to find Emma like he was supposed to.

Of course he was late and she wasn't very happy about it, she had been worried, scared that he'd left her for good but he reassured her, saying he got delayed because he met an old friend and that he would tell her all about it later. Using her gift, she knew that he was telling the truth about telling her everything later so she let go the fact that he had lied about the old friend part and waited until later to hear what he had to tell her. She trusted him to have a good reason to wait.

After that, Neal and Emma got what they needed to put their plan into action and drove to Tallahassee in the little yellow bug that now had a legal licence plate on it. It was a long road trip but they made it fun, used the time to bond and make more plans and they eventually made it.

.

A couple of weeks after arriving in town, they had a place to stay and Neal had found a job. Things were starting to look up and they had really been lucky ever since their arrival in this new town.

"You have to go to a doctor Emma, the way you've been sick for the past few days isn't normal." Neal told her as she washed her teeth after throwing up in the toilets of their newly rented apartment.

"It's probably just something I ate, I'll be fine. Plus, you have to get to work." She waved it off.

She didn't have time to get sick, she wanted to find a job so that Neal wasn't the only one supporting them.

"We ate the same thing and you've been sick for over a week Emma. Please just... let's go to a doctor." Neal argued and with a sight, she nodded.

"Fine, I'll go while you're at work. Mister Turner was nice enough to trust you with this job, we can't let him down." She insisted.

When they had arrived in Tallahassee, they had been drawn to this ordinary building and had met an old man named Henry Turner. If at first he looked like a big angry wild bear, the old man turned out to be very nice and trusted them. He agreed to rent a 2 bedrooms apartment to them and even offered them a job. Since he was so old, he couldn't do all the repairs that needed to be done in his buildings anymore so he hired Neal to do it. It paid enough to get the two of them to live like normal people so he took the job, accepting to work emergency repairs during the night or the week-ends. This way, Emma would be free to find a job that called to her, that she loved.

"Fine, I'll go to work but you go to a doctor. When I come back I want to know what's wrong with you alright? I worry." He told her and she nodded.

Then Neal kissed her softly on the lips and went to work.

Like she had promised him, Emma went to the doctor in the beginning of the afternoon and waited patiently for her turn, trying to ignore the fact that the unwashed man that was sitting next to her was smelling so bad that she felt like running to the bathroom all over again. Pressing a scented tissue under her nose, she took a big breath and prayed that her turn came quickly. She hated free clinics but she didn't really have the money to go anywhere else right now.

.

"So, what did the doctor say?" Neal asked her when he came home that evening and saw her laying down on their new couch.

"Come, sit down." She asked as she sat up, patting the spot next to him.

"What is it Emma, you're scaring me." He asked her, worriedly as he sat by her side.

"I... It's nothing bad... I know it's soon and that we're both pretty young but... I'm... I'm pregnant." She managed to tell him, fighting her nerves as she spoke.

"I... Are you sure?" he asked her and she nodded, handing him a piece of paper as she did.

Looking at it, Neal saw that it was a sonogram. Their child's first picture.

Well, to him, it looked more like a bean and the picture reminded him of the magic bean he had used to travel to this land but if she said it was their child, then he had to believe her.

"Say something..." She pleaded after a few minutes of him starring at their unborn child.

"I... You're right, it's a bit soon but we'll make it Emma. I love you, you know that and we'll be fine. We'll be happy, the three of us will be happy I promise you." He told her, making her cry in happiness as she jumped in his arms and hugged him hard.

.

"Emma, there's something I need to tell you." Neal started a few days later as they both walked on the beach, planning on having dinner watching the sun set.

"What is it, you look so serious..." She asked.

"It's about my past. You might not want to believe me but I swear, if you use your gift, you'll see that I'm telling the truth." He pleaded with her and once she nodded, letting him know silently that she was listening, he started telling her the story of his life, back when he was Baelfire up to his meeting with August, aka Pinocchio, without forgetting his stay in Neverland and who she really was.

"Neal... It's a nice story, I don't mind you telling it to our kid once its born but I'm too old to believe in fairy tales. This isn't funny." Emma scolded him.

"You're not ready to believe me and it's fine Emma but I promise you that before our kid turns 10, you'll believe me and we'll have you reunited with your parents." He replied, kissing her hair and hugging her to his side.

"Right, because I'm the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming... Whatever you say. Wait, this August was the one who found me by the side of the road?" She asked.

"Yes, except you arrived in the woods, through a magical portal in a tree. His real name is Pinocchio and he was supposed to guide you and make sure you believed but he failed you, he let himself get tempted by this world's wonders. Now he wants to make it up to you. He'll come and pay us a visit soon." Neal replied.

"You know I don't believe you one bit about the magic world thing right?" The 18 years old pregnant blond by his side asked him.

"I know, but I also know that you didn't detect a lie and that you'll eventually believe me. As long as you don't send me to the crazy house I'm fine." he chuckled.

It had taken him a long time to tell her everything and the sun was starting to set. They sat down on the sand and Neal opened the basket he was carrying, setting the dinner Emma had prepared in front of them.

He knew that getting Emma to believe wouldn't be easy but he would do it, with time, love, patience and probably the help of their child, he would get her to believe in just how extraordinary and amazing she was.

.

August had been tempted to go off to Thailand and have some fun but he reminded himself that he needed to be there for Emma so when Neal called to inform him that they had settled down in a nice apartment and that he had found a job, he decided to pay them a visit.

When he arrived, he learned that Emma was pregnant and that Neal had told her everything. If she didn't believe it, she wasn't calling them crazy either so it wasn't so bad. He stayed with them for a couple of weeks before going to New York for a job, promising to come back often. Neal had been right, they were on the right track and there was more chances of Emma believing in magic now that she was happy than if she had been forced to go to jail.

.

Time passed.

Emma was following classes to become a bails-bond person all the while taking care of her health during her pregnancy.

Henry Turner, the man who had given them a chance came to see them often. He didn't have a family and had grown to care for the couple and helped them as much as he could.

"Are you sure you're alright Henry? You've been unusually pale for the last couple of days... Maybe you should rest some more." Emma asked the man as she served him some hot chocolate until Neal came home.

"This is the reason I wanted to speak with you and Neal. I'd rather wait until he comes home, it'll be easier then." Henry replied.

"He shouldn't be too long now. He was supposed to be home half an hour ago but Misses Donning called. She said that there was something wrong with her pipes." Emma informed him.

"Again? Isn't it the third time this month?" Henry wondered.

"Actually, the first time it was the window, the time after that it was the sink... I think she's just lonely." Emma told him.

"Yeah, I think I heard that her children were trying to get her to move closer to them." Henry nodded.

Just then, Neal entered the apartment and joined them after a short trip in the bathroom to clean up a bit.

"Now that you're both here, I have something to tell you. The reason I'm so pale and tired lately is because I'm sick. I won't go into details but I have no more than a few months left. Now, I'm not telling you this so you make these sad faces. Emma, Neal, you two know how much I love you and you know that I don't have much family left... My brother in Seattle will inherit most of my belongings but I wanted to warn you... I've changed my will... I'm leaving this building to the two of you." He told them, trying to ignore their sad looks.

"You don't have to..." Neal started to protest but Henry rose his hand and asked him to stop talking.

"I want to. I always promised myself that I wouldn't leave this world without doing some good for someone in need first and this is what I'm doing now. The two of you deserve to be happy and this is what I'm giving you now. With the money from the rent, you won't have to worry, you'll be able to raise your boy the way you want, without him to want for anything. Please, let me do this for you." The old Henry asked and the couple nodded, unable to resist the last wish of a dying old man who had done so much for them and had grown to become a member of their family.

.

Emma gave birth to her son 3 days after term and the old Henry was still alive but on his death bed. Emma and Neal decided to name their son after the man who have given everything to them.

Before he died, they let Old Henry hold their son and watched sadly as the man who had helped them so much died with a happy, satisfied smile on his face that reflected well on the fact that he had been satisfied with the way his life had gone.

At Neal's demand, August was named Baby Henry's godfather and he moved closer to them so he could be there for them whenever they needed him and try to redeem himself for leaving Emma all those years ago. He wouldn't fail Henry like he had failed Emma. He couldn't.

Emma still didn't believe anything of what August and Neal had told her about their past and who they truly were but she heard the story everyday as Neal told it to their son, who grew up as what could be called a strong believer.

The years passed and the family was relatively happy. Emma still didn't believe but she had grown so accustomed to hearing the fairy tale stories that she wouldn't really had been surprised if a fairy ended up coming for a visit one day.

Neal and her had discussed having more children but they decided to wait until Henry was 10, until they were both older. Neal wanted to wait until the curse broke and if Emma didn't believe the curse story, she trusted that he had good reasons for wanting to wait. Their lives were in a good place right now anyway, she didn't see a reason to change anything.

When Henry turned 2, Neal proposed to Emma and she accepted. They got married 6 months later and became the Swan - Cassidy family.

It was, to Emma, a happy ending to her difficult and sad childhood but she had no idea that if it was a happy moment, it was far from being an ending. She would have more happy moments, but she'd also have to face more difficulties. She'd have to face sad moments and she'd have though choices to make but right now, she was married to a man she loved, she had her son by her side and a friend/big brother she could count on.

She didn't care about Neal and August's curse stories.

This was her happy ending.

This is only the first part. It'll be longer. I'm not sure where I'm going but it will definitely be longer.

Also the pairing might not be final, because I don't like Emma and Neal together that much... and because I have ideas... I guess we'll see where I take things.

It will be at least as long as it takes Emma to break the curse, because I have it all figured out up to that point. After that, I guess it depends. I can warn you that people will die though. Good people. People you like... but not Emma. Nor Henry.

review please?

Lorelei Candice Black