A/N: This is Neal's perspective of what happened in the 1st chapter 'simularities'.

Spoillers: Set some time after "The Miller's Daughter".

Disclaimer: I Don't Own Once Upon A Time

Neal hugged Henry as Emma dropped him off.

She kind of stood there silently for a moment and then said,

"I'll be back to pick him up at 9:00."

"That's ok Em. I can bring him back to your place. Just tell me where you live and I will…"

She cut him off and said, "No, it's ok. I'll pick him up it's fine. Just make sure he's safe and watch out for Regina."

"I got it. Em."

She gave him a hard look and then turned to Henry smiled, kissed him on the cheek and left.

She barely allowed herself to look at him. He supposed this was better than being yelled at or her scowl. She seemed to be okay with him spending time with Henry, which relieved him. At least he trusted him enough to spend time with him.

He just found out he had a son. He didn't want to fight her on that. He would if he had to though.

"So what do you want to do while we wait for dinner?" Neal asked Henry.

Henry took an oversized book out of his bag.

"Do you think you could tell me about what it's like over there?" Henry asked his eyes wide in that curiosity that he loved about the kid.

"Yeah, sure buddy no problem." Neal said.

They went into his father's pawn shop and went in the back sitting on the couch as they went over the book in detail. He kind of felt weird when they looked at the part where Snow White and Prince Charming met. Oh man, Snow White met Prince Charming by Snow robbing Charming. Like mother like daughter. He didn't want to dwell on the similarities. Luckily they brushed through that part and Henry showed him where he was in the book. He told him how his town was like and things like that. He really didn't like dwelling on it either. It brought up sad memories, memories of things he tried to forget for centuries. But the look on his son's face made him go on about some more exciting things. Then he started tell him about his adventures in Neverland. There were bad memories there too but there were a lot more exciting times too and lots of adventures. Henry had lots and lots of questions the kind of question he wouldn't have thought of. He tried to answer the best he could.

After a while he saw his watch it was about an hour dinner would be ready soon. He still could not believe his father was actually making dinner for the both them.

He patted his kid's head and said, "So let's get ready for dinner."

He couldn't believe that he was actually having dinner with his son and his dad. He never really thought he would have dinner with his dad ever again.

They went to his father's house and saw his dad still busy with kitchen. He dropped a pan and started to curse. Neal covered Henry's ears.

Then he said, "We better give him some more time. Let's do something while we wait.

Then Henry asked him," So do you still sword fight?"

He told him all about how he would have epic sword fights with Pirates in Never Land. It had been decades since he's been in Neverland and had those epic battles so he could have very well have forgotten but it really wasn't something you forgot. He didn't really forget when he used it against Cora and Regina's magic.

"Yeah."

"Awesome! Do you think we can sword fight while we wait?" Henry asked excited.

"Well, maybe we should wait until we can get some fake swords I don't want you to accidently get hurt." Neal said.

"Oh that's okay I have some fake swords that gramps made for me." Henry said still amped up on energy.

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea. I don't want to disrupt your grandma or your mom." He said still thinking how things with Emma could still be so icy and awkward.

Henry smiled at him knowingly and asked, "You aren't scared of them are you?"

"What? No. Of course not."

He just hated to see that hurt disappointed look on Emma's face whenever he saw her. Or that cold hard look she gave him. Her face was nothing like the girl he used to know. He knew that he was a big reason for that cold hard shell. There were moments of times seeing those hard impenetrable walls crack. Like when she talked about him wanting to give his father a second chance and he said something about surprises she smiled and that wall seemed to crack just a little bit. He liked those small moments where he would see her smile. There were times when he would hope that those small moments were signs that deep down she still cared. He had to burry that hope. Why did he hope she still cared? He was a happily engaged man. He didn't want her to truly care, not in the way she used to. He supposed it wasn't because he still desired for her. That happened years ago. It wasn't that he still pined for her. No that wasn't it not at all he just wanted to know that he didn't completely ruin her. He just wanted to know that despite the heartbreak he caused she would be okay. All he wanted was for her to be ok.

He drove Henry to their apartment with the directions Henry gave him. When he arrived his heart leaped into his throat when he saw the Yellow Bug parked there in all of its glory. He practically jumped out of the car examining every detail of the bug. He caressed the edges with the palm of his hand seeing if that was indeed the same car him and Emma met in, lived in, and possibly conceived Henry in. He loved that bug. It was the only thing that he stole that brought him happiness. He wanted Emma to have it as a symbol of what they had together did matter to him. He wanted for her to be ok. He wanted for her to more than survive but to thrive. He wanted her to drive it and think about their good times together. He thought that maybe she wouldn't, that she would probably sale it. Maybe she wouldn't want any reminders of their life together. But not only did she keep the key chain he gave her she kept their car. He held onto their old rusty yellow car over eleven years. Did cars even survive that long? What he knew of cars they only survived that long with a lot and lot of maintenance. Why would she do it? Why would she hold onto something for that long that reminded her of him? Could this really be a reminder of her to never trust again? He remembered how bright her smile was when they were together. Her joy was contagious. He remembered how happy he was. He remembered how the whole messed up world went away when they were together in that car. No more heart ache, no more pain, no more abandonment they both felt throughout their lives. They just had each other and that car and that was all they needed.

Then Henry said, "Dad?! Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Is this Emma's car?"

"Yeah, she loves that car. Me too." Henry said cheery.

That made him smile.

"So let's get those swords."

He walked behind Henry slowly still dazed about Emma having the car. He also was nervous about disrupting her. She might have made plans or something that he interrupted. He saw her with her parents. His heart beamed happy that at least he got her home. At least after all of those years of feeling alone she now had her family. She had gotten reunited with her parents.

He stood quiet but still really happy just thinking about Emma keeping their little love bug.

Then Henry said excited, "Pops! Can we use the swords?"

David glared at Neal for a second and then said, "Sure, just keep them in good shape."

"Thanks." Neal said happy that he didn't make a big deal although he kind of thought that it looked like Emma's dad wanted to punch him in the face.

The thought kind of made him happy because that was just such a normal situation for him and Emma to be in. It was a situation they thought they never would be in where she would have an overprotective father giving her suitor the 'if you hurt my daughter I will kill you look'. He really didn't want to be the receiving end of Prince Charming's wrath but it was nice to see that Emma had finally had that.

David still glared at him but then said with gritted teeth said, "No problem."

Then Henry ran to his room to go get their wooden swords.

They all four awkwardly stood there for a second. He really didn't know what to say. What were they supposed to do talk about the weather? All he could think about really was the car and how Emma kept it for so long. He couldn't take it anymore.

Neal said, "So Emma I have one question for you."

"What?" Emma asked not happy.

"How in the world did you keep our baby alive all of these years?" Neal asked in a bright and cheery mood, the words just popping out. He could not take the curiosity anymore. Their car was just so old.

Both David and Mary Margret looked at him horrified and then Mary Margret asked, "Were you having a problem with Henry?"

"Oh, no, no, no chill. I was talking about our car. Well Emma's car. That is your car out there isn't it. I wasn't hallucinated it was I?" Neal asked still a bit on cloud nine.

"No, it's my car." Emma said trying hard not to look at him.

"I can't believe it. Our car. Our car that we met in, the car that you stole from me while I was still in it." Neal said in awe completely forgetting that Emma's parents were right there.

"Hey, you stole it first." Emma said sounding like the girl he used to know when they first met.

Snow and David looked at them shocked. Then they had slightly amused realization on their faces and then their expressions changed showing a deep rooted sadness.

"I still can't believe you kept it running all of these years." Neal said flabbergasted, still trying to wrap his mind around it.

"Really it's that surprising." Emma said with a small voice.

"Yeah, it is. It's a pretty old car." Neal said.

"It's dependable. It's the only thing I could depend on for a long time." Emma said.

There it was. Her similar reaction she was going to go on about how he wasn't dependable.

Neal's smile faltered and then he said, "Of course, that's why you kept it, to remind you people weren't dependable."

Mary Margret and David looked down that sadness dripping off of them. Then Emma said, "I don't feel that way anymore. I can count on my family now. Now it's just a car."

"Right." Neal said trying to find any other spot in the room to look at other than Emma's face.

He should have known. What was he expecting it really? Why would he even hope any different? Why would she possibly give him even a glimmer of hope that he didn't mess up completely? Why would she admit that she loved that car because he gave it to her? Why he even hope for such an impossible thing?

Then Henry came back with the swords and said cheerily, "Ooooo food that smells good."

Then Mary Margret said, "We're having dinner. Do you two want to join us?"

He saw that she was just being nice. His father would probably be perturbed with them if they skipped dinner.

Neal looked at Emma one more time thinking just how awkward that dinner would be he could not take her coldness towards him and said, "Thanks but Henry really wanted to sword fight before it gets dark and we don't want the food to get cold."

"OK then, remember he needs to be back by 9:00." Emma said.

He noticed that, that she wanted him to go ahead and bring Henry home now, now that he saw the car. He realized that was the reason why she didn't want him to drop Henry off before.

"We'll be here." Neal assured her and then he left with Henry. He had to shake it off. He knew he probably would never get what he wanted from Emma that she probably would never completely forgive him. But at least he had Henry and they were a loud to have these moments. As they passed by the yellow car, by their yellow love bug, he patted Henry's head and thought to himself well at least some good did come from their little love bug. At least their time together brought them Henry.