Author's note: Hi everybody! Okay, I know I said that chapter eleven was the last chapter for part 1, and I know I'm supposed to be on a break right now, but the other day, I realised I had missed adressing a few things regarding Neal. He duelled Charming, and he confronted Hook, but he never actually got the chance to speak to Emma. And lo, Bae's speech to Emma below started forming in my head (I was tossing up whether to have him say it to Emma or Henry, but I chose Emma, as Henry already pretty much forgives his father, as Neal didn't even know he existed and Emma deserved an explanation).

So, after writing his spiel to her, other scenes started to form in my head, and before you know it, I had written this whole thing! Which I really like, by the way.

I had intended to just put it up as a one-shot, but I thought it could fit nicely as an epilogue of sorts for this story, so I added a few linking details and posted it here.

As usual, my theories are below, please read and enjoy!

~..~..~..~..

The Jolly Roger was docked in the Storybrooke harbour. On the ship's deck, Henry was excitedly regaling all three of his parents with what had happened to him the moment Tamara and Greg washed up with him on Neverland's shore, to the moment where they opened the portal.

Rumple held his love's hand, unwilling to let it go as he relished in her presence. Neither had to say a word, for looking was enough.

A hand on his shoulder caused him to start slightly, and to his surprise, he turned to find Ariel standing before him.

"Ariel?" He gasped as the former mermaid hugged him in relief. For when Emma and Neal had landed on deck, she had been worried sick by how close to death he had appeared.

"I'm fine, now Ariel, "Rumple told her gently. "Thank you. And I'm glad you were able to accompany us back."

Ariel pointed to Regina.

"Regina gave you legs?" Rumple queried and Ariel nodded, doing a twirl on the deck to show how accomplished she had become with her new limbs.

"I'm sorry?" Belle asked in confusion.

"Ah, yes," Rumple remembered his manners. "Belle, I'd like you to met Ariel, a mermaid who saved my life as a young man. She gave her voice to the Dark One at the time in order to come on land for a time. She has always been so curious about the human world," he added fondly. "When she became a mermaid once more, she was banished to Neverland, for a mermaid with no voice is almost powerless. Ariel was of great help to us in finding Henry, and in gratitude, we promised to bring her back to Storybrooke with us." Rumple smiled as he turned back to the former mermaid in question. "Ariel, I would like you to meet my true love: This is Belle, the woman I told you about."

"It's nice to meet you, Ariel," Belle greeted, stepping forward to take hold of the young woman's hand. "Did you really save Rumple's life?"

Ariel nodded in confirmation and Belle smiled.

"Thank you," she said gratefully.

Slowly, Ariel returned the smile.

"So, you like to learn?" Belle put forward gently, and Arial nodded eagerly. "If you like, I can help you adjust to life in Storybrooke," she suggested. "It's still pretty new to me, too."

Ariel's gaze was questioning as she regarded Belle.

"My time during the Dark Curse was a little different than most," Belle admitted. "But if you like, I can teach you about life here? And..." Belle tilted her head curiously. "Do you know how to read?" She asked.

Ariel shook her head, her eyes becoming hopeful.

"I can teach you to read," Belle suggested and Rumple couldn't help but feel proud of this kind hearted woman, whom he was lucky enough to call his own. "Books are a wonderful way to learn about the world."

Ariel clapped her hands to show her excitement before hugging Belle close in gratitude.

Rumple let out a small sigh of relief. Ariel would do fine here, with Belle looking out for her.

"Regina?"

Regina turned to see Rumplestiltskin's son regarding her as he stood by the side of the Saviour.

"There's something that I'd like to say to you," he began slowly.

"I'm waiting with bated breath," Regina told him.

Ignoring the overly defensive tone, Neal simply smiled.

"Thank you," he told her.

Regina frowned in confusion.

"What?"

"Thank you for doing such a great job with raising Henry, he's turned out beautifully," Neal elaborated.

That took Regina completely by surprise, and in a rare moment, she was speechless.

"You..." she stammered slightly, "you really think I did a good job raising him?" She asked, her voice hopeful.

"Yeah," Neal told her sincerely. "You're his mom. You took care of him when Emma and I couldn't."

Emma considered this thoughtfully as a grateful smile began to appear on Regina's face.

"Thank you, Neal," Regina was touched. No one had ever said that she had done a good job before.

"However," Neal continued, "Henry's got three parents now," Neal gestured to the three of them. "And I think we all deserve to have Henry in our lives."

"Yeah, I guess," Emma admitted reluctantly, remembering the curse that Regina had tried to place on Henry.

Regina's expression soured slightly as she met Emma's gaze. Would Emma try to keep her away from her son again?

Seeing the looks on the faces of both women, Neal thought it best to start building a bridge between them.

"Hey, Henry," he called, and the boy in question came over from talking to his grandparents. Neal placed a hand on his son's shoulder.

"Henry, we have a bit of a problem here, and I think we'll need your help to solve it."

"Okay," Henry said eagerly, "what's up?"

"Henry," Neal began, "do you think you'd be okay with having three parents?"

The boy's face broke into a huge smile.

"I would love that!" He told them, looking around at his birth parents and his adopted mother.

"And there's the problem, Henry," Neal admitted carefully. "How can we do this?"

"With Peter Pan the new Dark One, he could arrive here at any moment," Regina said quickly. "I'm the most powerful magician here, so Henry's safest with me."

"And how do we know that you're not gonna try and keep him prisoner or put a curse on him again?" Emma demanded. "Henry came to me in Boston because he was miserable with you. Believe me, he's safer with me and Neal."

"Okay ladies, break it up," Neal stepped in between the two woman as Henry's expression showed that he could see how difficult this was going to be.

"Regina, you make a very good point about Peter Pan," Neal began.

"Thank you," Regina said steadily, taking hold of Henry's shoulder.

"But I think Emma also makes a good point too, about you using magic to try to keep him as you did before."

Regina opened her mouth to retort before remembering the look on her son's face at the wishing well.

"I destroyed the curse," Regina reminded them quietly. "And I will never use magic on my son again."

"Okay," Neal took a breath, 'I can't believe I'm gonna say this...' he thought ironically.

"How about we make a deal?"

The reaction was instant.

"Are you kidding me?" Emma asked.

"With the son of Rumplestiltskin?" Regina spat. "No way."

"Well, it's good to know that you two can agree on some things," Neal commented lightly before becoming serious again.

"Look," he continued. "We had to work together to get Henry out of Neverland, and with Pan most likely on his way here, we'll have to work together again to make sure that our son stays safe." He turned his gaze from one woman to the other.

"Can we agree on that?"

Slowly, Regina nodded.

"Yeah," Emma whispered.

"Okay," Neal felt they were making some progress at least.

"So, how about this?" Neal put forward. "Henry spends...a week...with each of us," he suggested slowly, "starting with Regina, as she's most practiced in magic, in case Pan turns up soon."

"Which he probably will," Regina muttered, considering. "I should have more time with him."

"Why?" Emma demanded. "You had over ten years with him."

"Henry," Neal reminded them of the boys presence, "this affects you most of all, so you are allowed to have a say in this."

Henry looked at the faces of his parents thoughtfully.

"We don't need all the details sorted out this second," Neal reminded them, "just something to build from."

Henry swallowed.

"I like Neal's idea," Henry admitted. "But," he added quickly, "if I want to visit one of my other parents during the week, like for the day, or for lunch at Granny's or something, I can."

Neal paused, considering.

"Deal," he held out his hand, and Henry grasped it eagerly.

"Deal," Emma added, placing her hand on top of theirs.

"Deal," Regina reluctantly agreed, placing her hand on the pile.

"The deal is struck," Henry grinned, using one of his grandfather's famous lines from his book.

Emma groaned.

"I'm not like my father," he reminded them all.

"Well, you are dealing with your first born child," Regina told him. "I better not regret this," she added firmly, but a smile lit her face as she turned to her son.

"Come on Henry," she told him, "let's go home."

"Well done, Bae."

Neal turned to view his father as he approached, Belle on his arm as the others began to disembark the ship.

"I cannot believe I just did that," Neal admitted, sounding shocked.

"Well, we all do unexpected things for those we love," his father told him softly.

"There's still Peter Pan though," Neal reminded his father.

"Yes," Rumple agreed as he began to follow the others down the gang plank. "But, as you said: we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"Are you okay?" Neal asked his father hesitantly as they made their way down to the dock. "About not being the Dark One anymore? You're magic's gone now."

"Oh, I wouldn't necessarily say that," Rumple's eye's closed in concentration for a moment and he nodded slightly.

"A seer gave me her power of sight," Rumple explained. "And I still posses that, as it wasn't part of the curse of the Dark One. I also spent many years learning other forms of magic, trying to find a way to reach you, Bae. So," he added, "I believe I can still do magic," he granted, "I'm just not as powerful as I was."

He looked at his son with concern.

"Are you okay with that, son?" He asked, worried.

"Without the curse of the Dark One blackening your heart Rumple, you can use your power for good now," Belle told him surely. "You can use it to protect your family."

Rumple smiled slightly, considering.

"You'd be okay with that?" Neal asked his father.

Casting his eyes over the two people he loved most, Rumple raised a hand, and with a flick of his wrist and a puff of smoke, a rose appeared in his hand.

"Yes," he answered his son, passing the rose to Belle, who accepted it with a delighted smile. "I think I could be okay with that."

~..~..~..~..

Regina had been shocked to discover Sydney at the end of the dock, and even more shocked to find that Belle had taken over her job as Mayor. Emma supposed that she shouldn't have been surprised to find her own job taken, but David had assured her that Fredrick was an honourable man and good for the job.

When Rumple spotted Keith leaning against the squad car however, the former Sheriff of Nottingham was quick to retreat into the car as Belle explained why Keith was Deputy.

"Well, thank you for substituting," Regina told Belle, "but now that we're back, I think our jobs can be returned."

"That was always my idea," Belle assured Regina, for she was eager to return to her beloved library.

However, as Regina needed to know what had happened while she was out of office, she and Belle went to the town hall with Sydney, who Regina was doing her best to ignore, while dropping Emma, Neal and Henry off at the Charming's place, where Henry asked to wait until his mother was finished work.

Snow, David, Fredrick and Keith travelled to the Sheriff's station, dropping Rumple off at his shop, as he said he wanted to pick up a few things, like his car, for he didn't like the cramped travelling conditions, before going to the Charming's residence to discuss their plan to deal with Peter Pan.

With no room left available in the cars, Hook tended to his ship, furling the sails and tying the ship more securely to the harbour, with Ariel's help. While the former mermaid couldn't read, she did know a lot about how ships worked from watching the sailors and greatly enjoyed moving about the was impressed with the amount of knowledge that she had.

Hook and Ariel had also agreed to join up with the others and Emma had given Hook her phone, after giving a quick explanation of how it worked, so they could stay in contact.

Once the ship was completely secured, Hook and Ariel walked the streets of Storybrooke. As they made their way to the Charming's home, Ariel admired everything around her with wonder, and Hook was happy to explain what he'd learnt so far of this world to such a captive audience.

~..~..~..~..

Emma, Neal and Henry exited the car, after promising Regina that she was free to collect Henry as soon as her business with Belle had finished, and Henry made sure to kiss his mother on the cheek goodbye before running into the apartment building.

However, no sooner had Emma opened the door, and set about making hot chocolate for them all, than Henry began to doze off where he sat.

"Come on, Henry," she encouraged her son to stand up, "you've been through a lot kid, you look like you need some sleep."

Henry got slowly to his feet, and Neal scooped him up onto his shoulder to carry him upstairs to his room.

Emma smiled as she watched Neal carry their son upstairs before turning back to the kitchen as the water came to a boil.

It was as she was scooping the cocoa into the mugs that she heard Neal coming back down the stairs.

"Emma?" Neal said hesitantly, and Emma turned to see him standing behind her with a mixture of hope and remorse in his expression.

"I realise," he began slowly, "that I never actually got a chance to...to really talk to you, back in Neverland..."

Emma took a breath, moving to sit on the couch.

"What did you want to say?" She asked slowly.

Neal was trying to get his thoughts in order as he came to sit beside her, but he soon mentally shook his head at the futility of the effort. His thoughts were all in a jumble, but what he was feeling couldn't have been clearer.

'Just be honest,' he told himself.

"I meant what I told you," he began carefully, his voice low. "I love you."

Emma felt her breath catch in her throat as Neal lifted his gaze to hers, and the emotion behind his eyes made her glad she was sitting down.

"I lived in Neverland for so long," Neal explained slowly. "I was just as lost as any of the other boys on that island. And when I left," he continued, "I hoped that I could find what I was looking for." A soft smile tugged at his lips as he studied Emma's face. "And I did: I found you. And for the first time, I really felt like I belonged somewhere, that I belonged with you."

Neal ducked his head as guilt filled his eyes.

"I thought I was helping you find your family, when I let you go," his voice had become husky with emotion. "You had always wanted to find your family, and I thought that letting you go was the only way to help you do that." He put his head in his hands, clutching his hair with frustration before taking a deep breath and straightening up. "I don't blame you, if you don't forgive me yet," he told Emma earnestly, "because I still haven't forgiven myself. Letting you go was the biggest regret of my life. I regretted it the moment I made the decision, but by then it was too late to take it back." Neal licked his lips nervously as he cleared his throat as his voice became tight.

"I was afraid to go looking for you," Neal continued his confession, "I thought about you every day. But I was so afraid..." Neal swallowed as tears began to trail down his cheeks as he confessed his weakest points. He smirked humourlessly. "I guess I'm more like my dad than I thought," he mumbled.

Emma stayed quiet, knowing he wasn't finished yet.

"But when I was over that pit," he continued softly, "when all I could see was your face... I realised that all those years I had spent feeling afraid was just wasted time... and that letting you go had not been our only option, like I'd thought. We could've raised Henry together," Neal admitted softly. "And I could've brought you to Storybrooke when the time came."

He sighed.

"Not much we can do about that part, now," he admitted softly.

"But," his voice breaking slightly as he continued, "it's amazing how getting so close to death helps you get your priorities in the right order. And you, Emma..." Neal raised his eyes again, "you and Henry are top of the list."

Turning slightly, Neal made sure that he had Emma's full attention, for he knew this next bit was the most important.

"I'm not afraid anymore," he told her. "I should have fought for you before, but I didn't...and when I woke up alive in the Enchanted Forest, I knew that I had been given another chance, and I'm not gonna waste it this time."

Emma hadn't realised that she had started to cry until Neal gently brushed a tear away with the back of his fingers. Cupping her face gently, Neal met her eyes, and Emma could see the honesty in them.

"I love you, Emma," Neal told her simply. "And I completely understand if you haven't forgiven me, and while I know that nothing I can do now will make up for the time we've lost together, I will be here for you and Henry now. And if you let me," Neal reached into a pocket and brought out the necklace with the swan pendant, "I'd like for us to try and be a proper family."

Emma swallowed as she gazed down at the little swan pendant that had once been a key ring, one of the few mementos she had left from their time together.

"I gave that back to you in New York," Emma sad slowly, her voice thick with emotion.

Neal smiled, "I've been carrying it around ever since New York," he admitted, his expression becoming hopeful. "I was wondering if I could give it back to you?"

Emma looked down at the necklace in Neal's hand. He was giving her the choice, now...

Slowly, Emma reached her hand forward and reclaimed the swan necklace, and while she had broken the chain to give it back to Neal, to her surprise, she found that the chain had been fixed.

"I got my dad to fix the chain," Neal admitted as he took the necklace and placed it around Emma's neck once more.

"What was his price?" Emma asked, looking down at the swan pendant that lay over her heart, its light weight reassuring and, Emma realised, very welcome.

"Time," Neal answered slowly. "He wants to spend some more time with me." He took a deep breath. "And while I'm still mad at him," Neal admitted, "the fact that I nearly lost him, again, has reminded me that I really do want to have a father again. And, now that he's not the Dark One anymore," he continued hopefully, "there may be a chance of that."

Neal reclaimed Emma's gaze.

"And I want to be Henry's father too," he added.

"How are we gonna get that past Regina?" Emma asked.

"We'll work something out," Neal smiled slightly. "All families have their problems, right?"

Emma felt a smile tugging at her lips.

"I think our family will always have more problems than most," she admitted.

"So," Neal prompted hopefully, "does this mean you want this too? To try again? To be a family?"

Emma slowly nodded, for she had loved Neal for years, but it had been so long, she had to admit...

"Where do we start?" She wondered.

"How about dinner tonight?" Neal asked her softly. "Henry'll be at Regina's tonight, he'll be safe enough with her, so we've got the night free?"

A hopeful smile began to fill Emma's eyes as she gazed at Neal.

"Alright," she agreed.

Neal's smile grew wider, and he couldn't help leaning in and brushing Emma's lips with his own.

Emma responded slowly, reaching up to place her hands around Neal's neck, trailing her fingers along his shoulders.

Neal didn't want to pull away, and he ran his fingers through Emma's hair, letting the taste and smell of her take him back to the happiest times of his life...

~..~..~..~..

Outside the Charming's apartment building, Rumple was exiting his car just as Snow and David arrived in David's truck, which had been parked at the station. Together, they entered the apartment building and began to make their way up the stairs to the Charming's loft.

"Wait," David said to his wife as they reached the last flight of stairs. Turning to Gold, he held out their apartment key. "You go ahead, wait for us inside," he told him. "I just need to talk with my wife first."

"We may be rather pressed for time," Rumple told the prince firmly.

"We can spare a few minutes," David answered, pressing the key into his hand.

Sighing, Rumple continued up the stairs, doing his best to ignore the pain in his bad leg.

"Are you sure we can trust him?" David asked his wife in a whisper.

"David," Snow reprimanded slightly, "he gave up everything to save Henry from Peter Pan."

"And now Peter Pan's the Dark One," David reminded his wife in a hiss. "Gold could just kill Peter Pan with the knife and reclaim his power all over again."

Pretending he couldn't hear the couple talking about him, Rumple unlocked their apartment door and pushed it open silently.

He froze before taking even two steps inside.

Emma Swan and his son were on the couch, locked in an embrace.

Rumple stepped back out into the hallway quietly, though the kissing couple seemed too preoccupied with each other to notice that anyone had even entered.

Closing the door as silently as possible, Rumple allowed himself a small smile of pride for his son before turning to the more immediate issue of Emma's parents approaching.

"Perhaps it would be better," he told them, thinking quickly, "for us to conduct this discussion at my shop."

"Why?" David asked, confused. "We're already here." He made to move past, but felt the gold-topped handle of Rumple's cane thud against his chest.

"Trust me," Rumple told the man quietly, "I really think my shop would be better."

David's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Rumplestiltskin didn't want him to enter his own family apartment?

"Out of my way," David whispered, pushing the former Dark One aside, he pushed open his apartment door, his wife and Rumple following behind.

Emma and Neal both sprung to their feet like guilty children.

David froze. His eyes travelled from his daughter, who was hastily running her fingers through her hair, trying to comb out the tangles that seemed to have suddenly appeared, to Rumplestiltskin's son, who was quickly straightening his shirt.

"Have we interrupted something?" David asked Neal coldly, though their flushed faces and dishevelled appearance made it clear that they had.

"Uh..." Neal swallowed guiltily, glancing at Emma.

"No," Emma answered quickly.

"No," Neal echoed.

David's eyes narrowed as he stepped forward towards Neal.

"You..." he made to take another step, but found something tugging his arm, holding him back.

Looking down, he spied Rumple's gold topped cane hooked around his arm, the man in question meeting Charming's gaze, unafraid.

"Step away from my son, Prince Charming," the former Dark One warned,

"You would defend him," David hissed.

"Of course," Rumple admitted calmly.

"But I have the right to defend my daughter," David continued.

"Of course," Rumple granted, "but both of our children are old enough to make their own decisions. Besides," he continued, flicking his eyes to his son, "Emma was clearly not under any duress, and if she had been," he added, "your daughter is fully capable of defending herself."

"Okay," Neal cleared his throat to try and diffuse the tension in the room, "I was just..."

"Leaving?" Charming pointed to the door.

Neal nodded, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth.

"Yeah," he answered softly. Defying Charming's glare, however, rather than heading straight for the door, he turned back to Emma.

"I'll pick you up at eight, okay?" He told her softly before leaning in for another kiss.

David gritted his teeth and cleared his throat.

Smirking, Neal finally made to leave, only to find his path blocked by Prince Charming.

"What do you mean, you're picking my daughter up at eight?" David asked flatly, but he could easily guess.

"We've got a date tonight," Emma spoke up, getting annoyed with all the posturing going on.

"Shall I have her home by midnight, Sir?" Neal asked, a slight mocking tone to his voice.

"Eleven thirty," David deadpanned. If Neal was going to try and treat this like a joke, he'd take advantage of it.

"You've got to be kidding me," Emma objected.

"Nope," David kept his eyes locked on Neal. What would he do?

Neal's eyes became sincere as he stood up to Emma's father.

"I love your daughter, David," he told him slowly. "And I will always treat her with respect."

Mindful of the cane that was still hooked onto his arm, rather than punching Neal like he wanted to, David settled for a glare.

"Make sure you do," he told the man before him. "And," he added, "don't ever let me catch you with my daughter like that," his eyes flicked to the couch meaningfully, "ever again."

"Oh, I promise," Neal answered, the smirk pulling at his mouth once more. "I won't let you catch me."

Dodging around Charming, Neal made it to the door.

"See you tonight, Emma," he called over his shoulder as he left.

Slowly, Rumple detached his cane from Charming's arm and the prince whirled around.

"Would you mind talking to your son about keeping his hands the hell away from my daughter?" David demanded.

"I believe your daughter is the only one who has the right to make that call," Rumple answered mildly. "Now, shall we reschedule our discussion?" Rumple got off the subject quickly.

"Yes," Charming replied. "Perhaps it would be more beneficial for us all," he turned to glance at Emma, who blanched at being treated like a misbehaving teenager, "to discuss what to do about Pan, if he turns up, together."

"And calm," Snow added pointedly, eying her husband in concern. "We can meet at the diner later," she added, figuring neutral territory may help as she moved aside to quickly let Hook and Regina know of the change of plans.

"Tomorrow morning?" Emma suggested. "I think we all need to recharge."

"Very well," Rumple headed for the door, hoping to catch his son before her got too far. "Until tomorrow, then."

Rumple made his way down the stairs and was relieved to find Bae standing just outside the door of the building, seemingly lost in thought, a smile on his face.

"Sorry about the interruption," Rumple told his son, who started slightly.

"Yeah, that wasn't awkward at all," Bae answered sarcastically, running his fingers through his hair. "What?" He asked, seeing the smile on his father's face.

"You're happy, son," Rumple stated softly.

"Yeah," Bae answered slowly. "Yeah I am." He smiled wryly. "Now I just gotta find a way to win over Prince Charming."

Rumple thought for a moment. He may not be able to help his son deal with his lover's father, but he may have a solution to another relevant problem.

"Come with me, Bae," he told his son. "I have something I'd like to give you, if you'll have it?"

"What is it?" Bae asked cautiously.

"You'll see," Rumple told him gently, and to his relief, Bae followed him, albeit cautiously, to his car.

Back in the apartment, Emma was glaring angrily at her father.

"I cannot believe you!" She was shouting.

"You're my daughter." Charming felt his voice rising. "How would you expect me to react to that?" His eyes studied Emma's mussed up hair. Her face was still flushed, but Charming figured that it was now due to anger rather than...passion.

"We're the same age!" Emma shot back. "And I am a grown woman and do not need a curfew as if I were seventeen!"

"Okay," Snow stepped in between them, her hands raised in a placating gesture. "I think we all need to cool down a bit, here."

David took a deep breath to try and calm down.

"I know you're a grown woman, Emma," he admitted slowly, "and I know that you can take care of yourself. But," He added quickly as Emma opened her mouth to retort, "no matter how old you are, or how many years separate us, you will always be my daughter. And as your father, it's my job to protect you. I want to protect you."

"I don't need your protection," Emma told him quietly. "I've done a pretty good job without it for the last twenty eight years."

Charming tried not to show how much those words hurt as he lowered his eyes.

"I'm gonna go take a shower," Emma announced as she left the room, avoiding her parents' eyes.

As Emma closed the door behind her, Snow placed her hand on her husband's shoulder in comfort.

"I sure botched that conversation up didn't I?" David asked his wife.

"Well," Snow began slowly, "you may have overreacted just a little."

David looked up in confusion. "You really think I overreacted?" He asked.

"You acted just like an overprotective father would," Snow nodded.

David's jaw dropped slightly in shock.

"So, what," he began, "I should have said 'sorry for interrupting' and left them to continue?"

"They're in love, David," Snow reminded her husband slowly as if she were speaking to a child. "They're a couple, and that's what couples do."

"Not my daughter," David felt the 'overprotective father' feeling rising up again.

"You do know that Emma and Neal have already had a son together, right? Remember Henry?" Snow reminded her husband and David rolled his eyes.

"Yes," he granted, "but-"

"And haven't we always wanted our daughter to find her happy ending?" Snow prompted. "Emma's finally letting her walls down."

"For him," David spoke as if even saying Neal's name would leave a bad taste in his mouth.

That got Snow's attention, for her husband had never acted so...

"Are you jealous?" She asked.

David didn't answer, but the fact that he averted his gaze instantly spoke volumes.

"Charming..." Snow reached up to place her hand on her husband's cheek tenderly.

David took a deep breath.

"I've barely got used to having a daughter," David admitted slowly, "and I'm already losing her before she's even become truly mine." David felt all the fire leaving him as Snow wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Isn't she supposed to be my girl first?" He asked rhetorically.

"Ideally, yes," Snow said. "But unfortunately, that never got the chance to happen."

"He has her love, even though he left her," David whispered. "Why can't I have her love too?"

"She may have been your girl when she was born, David," Snow admitted slowly, "But Emma has never known you as her father. Neal was her guy. He was the one who took care of her when she needed it. But Emma...she's never regarded you, either of us, in a loving role," Snow took a breath as she began to realise herself that she'd been going about getting her daughter back all wrong. "Neal earned Emma's love years ago, and so it's easier for her to give him her love again. Henry is Emma's son, and she's always seen him that way, and that's why she wanted to stay in Storybrooke, to get to know her son. But us? If we want to get our daughter back, David," Snow told her husband surely, "we have to earn her love from scratch. For us, simply saying 'I'm sorry' one hundred times isn't going to work."

David sighed. His wife was right. Emma had been through too much heartache in her life to forgive them so easily. Neal had been the only good thing that had happened to her growing up. And for that, David realised he should be thankful.

"I guess this means I have to try and be nicer to Neal," he admitted slowly.

"That would be a start," Snow agreed, smiling slightly as she kissed her husband in reassurance.

"We can do this, David," she whispered. "We can get our daughter back. It's just going to take time and effort."

~..~..~..~..

"So, "Neal asked his father as they drove, realising they weren't heading to the shop, "where are we going?"

Rumple took a deep breath.

"Well, being the intuitive person that I am," he began lightly, "I'm assuming you're now planning on staying in Storybrooke for a while?"

"Don't know how you got that idea," Neal answered with a smile, "but yes. Why?"

"Living in a hotel room isn't really conducive for long term residency," Rumple continued carefully as they approached their destination. "I actually own many apartment buildings in this town," he chanced a glance at his son and saw that he had his boy's attention, "and there is a vacancy, if you'll have it?"

They pulled over at that moment, and Neal looked out to see a small apartment block.

"Here?" He asked, curiously. Turning back to his father, Neal saw the hesitancy in his expression.

"At least come have a look at it, son," he told him.

"Alright," Neal nodded his agreement.

Opening the glove box, Rumple took out some paper work and a small set of keys before opening his car door.

Rumple led the way into the building and up the stairs until Rumple stopped at a doorway a third of the way down the hall.

"Here it is," Rumple held the keys out to his son, indicating which one opened the apartment door.

Shooting a glance at his father, Neal inserted the key and turned.

Stepping into the apartment, Neal had a look around.

The place was small but comfortable, if a little old fashioned, much like everything else in the town, Neal supposed.

It was fully furnished, for which Neal was thankful. Neal didn't want to have to worry about buying furniture.

"So, why is this place vacant?" He asked his father as he headed to check out the bedroom. "I wouldn't think there'd be any vacancies, in a place that had been cursed for twenty eight years."

"You wouldn't think," Rumple agreed, "however, Emma's arrival certainly changed things."

Neal paused at the bedroom doorway to look at his father.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

Rumple figured he may as well say it.

"The previous tenant," Rumple began, "was named Graham. He was the Sheriff before Emma, and he made her his deputy not long after her arrival here. He unfortunately died, not long after that, and Emma was elected Sheriff after him."

Neal eyed his father shrewdly.

"How did he die?" He asked.

"Well, the medical records say: Heart attack. Which is unusual, as he was only in his thirties."

"And in reality?" Neal pushed.

"Regina crushed his heart," Rumple stated hesitantly.

Neal's eyebrows shot up.

"Regina?"

"In our homeland," Rumple explained. "Graham was known as 'The Huntsman'. He gave up his own heart so that the Queen would spare Snow White's. He became Regina's slave."

"Poor guy," Neal commented.

"Indeed," Rumple agreed slowly. "After Miss Swan arrived however, Graham began to break away from Regina's leash. He even began to remember who he had once been, in the Enchanted Forest."

"And that's why Regina killed him?" Neal asked.

"It's a possibility," Rumple granted. "Though who really knows what goes on in Regina's mind? Still, she was losing her most valued slave, and if she couldn't keep control over him, I doubt she'd want him to go to the side of the Saviour."

Neal sighed in sympathy for the poor guy as he continued to look around the apartment. The place had been cleaned pretty thoroughly by the looks of it: the walls were bare, the drawers were empty and the furniture had been covered in plastic. It was clear it hadn't been used in a while.

Rumple watched his son with concern, thinking that telling him about the former Sheriff had not been the best idea. Still, he had asked...

"He didn't die in this apartment," Rumple added, "in case you were wondering."

"Don't worry, I'm not afraid of ghosts, if that's what you're thinking," Neal smirked as he headed over to the window, where he could see the Storybrooke clock tower in the distance.

"So, then, "Rumple prompted gently, "what do you think of the apartment?"

Neal looked at his father.

"What's the rent like?" He asked.

"Don't worry about rent," Rumple assured his son.

Neal gave him a look.

"Come on..."

"Isn't that what parents do, they take care of their children, no matter how old they are?" Rumple put forward. "You were right, Bae," Rumple added. "There is no way I can make up for the time we missed together. So please," he stepped forward to implore his son, "let me take care of you now."

Neal sighed.

"At least until you find a job here," Rumple amended, hoping to sway his son. "You can't pay rent without some kind of income. I can help you with that, if you-"

Neal held up a hand.

"The apartment's fine for now dad," he told him. "You don't need to try so hard."

"I think I do," Rumple admitted.

"Alright," Neal began. "I will take the apartment, and as soon as I find a job, I'll pay rent."

"Deal," Rumple smiled, though faltered under his son's gaze.

"Sorry," Rumple cleared his throat, reconsidering his word choice. "Uh...that's sounds perfect, son."

He retrieved the paperwork from the inside of his jacket, and after the papers were read and signed, Rumple handed his son the keys.

"Welcome home, Bae," he told his son as he placed the apartment keys in his hand, and he was happy to see that his son was actually smiling at him.

"Thanks you, Papa."

~..~..~..~..

Author's note: So, what do you think?

I'm not sure how Belle and Ariel are going to meet, but as Ariel was always the type of charater to dreamed of adventure on land and learning about the world outside her watery home, I can just see her and Belle becoming friends, as they're so similar, and I wanted to show that possibility here.

Okay, I know Regina has done some truly horrible things in her live, as has Rumple, but when it comes to Henry, she will literally do anything for him. Yes, she has done some bad things, such as with the curse she was going to put on him- but she burnt it- showing she wasn't as heartless as her mother.

However the fact remains that Regina is the one who raised Henry, and I don't really like the fact that Emma and the others seem to be disregarding that. Henry clearly has many traits inherited from his birth parents, but he wouldn't be who he is today if not for Regina, and I think she deserves to be recognised for that.

As such, however, there is the small matter of custody now, and as Henry is the type who would want his family together, I know he would want to see his whole family. I had Neal act as mediator, as he is probably the most neutral of the three of them, as Emma and Regina, I would imagine, still harbour a lot of resentment and anger towards each other.

I also thought it would be interesting to see Neal work a deal of his own, as that's basically what a custody agreement is.

I also believe that, even if Rumple is no longer the Dark One, he still spent centuries learning other forms of magic, not to mention the fact that, as the seer's power was not originally part of his curse, it wouldn't leave him if he were no longer the Dark One.

But, will he really be content with that?

Now, as for Bae, Emma and Henry...

After seeing a clip of 3x02 'Lost Girl' where Emma calls herself an orphan while remembering how it felt to grow up in the system, I was thinking that Neal had probably felt the same, after being abandoned by both parents.

The reason why I had also thought Neal could do a similar speech to Henry, was that a clip of 3x02 'Lost Girl' shows Pan telling Emma that she'll understand Henry now, as he hasn't forgiven her for giving him up either, and by the time she finds him, he won't want to leave. But Neal, though he was once a 'Lost Boy' himself, had eventually left the island, and if it does get to the point on the show where Henry doesn't want to leave, I think Neal may need to be there to encourage his son to leave with is family.

Just a theory!

I am really proud of how I wrote Bae's confession to Emma, as he is able to explain everything he has been through, all of his regrets and fears, as well as the realisations he's come to. And I do believe that Emma will forgive Neal, for much the same reasons as I had Snow tell David. Emma has experienced Neal caring for her, and remembers him that way, but her parents are another story, which is why I think it's going to be more difficult for Emma to forgive Snow and Charming, than it will be to forgive Neal.

Now, as much as I love protective daddy-Charming, I thought that he needed a reality check that being mean to Neal was not the best way to get his daughter's love. I was also thinking- he really hasn't known Emma as his daughter for very long, why would he feel the need to protect her so stongly? Is it just the fact that he's trying to make up for lost time? Well, I think that he wouldn't just be trying to protect his daughter from the man who broke her heart, but that he may be jealous of the fact that Neal was in her heart before he was...

I also wanted to see Rumple finally trying to reconnect with his son, as we've yet to see him really try to, other than the 'deathbed' scene in 2x16 'The Miller's daughter.'

I thought that, as he owned most of the town, apparently, that he would want to give his son somewhere to live, to encourage him to stay, but as Emma found out in the first season, a cursed town doesn't have any vacancies, 'cause no one can get in, and time has stopped. So where would a vacant apartment be? That's when I thought of Graham's old place.

I apologise to any Huntsman lovers if you think that it was in bad taste, but if someone dies and leaves a home vacant, it will get filled at some point. I actually think it's fitting, as Emma's kiss began to break Graham's curse and help him to remember, proving that they had feelings for each other, if the Saviour could break his curse with a kiss. So, surely, for Neal: the True Love of the Savior, to be the one to inherit his apartment, I think is as appropriate as possible, rather than having a stranger move in. Besides, Emma never saw that apartment anyway, so she'd have more connection to Graham at the Sheriff's office, where his jacket probably still hangs, than his apartment.

Okay, I think that's all my theorising. If you need me to clarify my thoughts on anything I've written, please let me know.

And please review!

Okay, I'm really going to go on a break now...until the next idea hits me, anyway!