Ch 1. Partnership

"So what's your story, Emma," Neal asked as he and Emma continued to stay on the carrousel swings.

"I wish I knew," Emma replied.

"How can you not know your own story?"

"Well let's see, I was abandoned on the side of a freeway and then spent most of my life in the foster system and running away from them. I've never really had a home. I know it sounds kind of lame."

"No it doesn't, not to me," Neal said with a smile.

Emma smiled back. Usually when she told people that she had no family they were either ready to run or simply wanted to get into her pants and make her forget her situation. Neal was neither of those, at least not yet.

"Did you ever try to find your parents," Neal asked.

"No I never saw the point. I figured if they wanted they would have found me by now."

It saddened him that Emma's life had turned out that way but not all lives were easy with fairytales and butterflies. He liked her he had since the start of the day when they first met after she stole his stolen car.

Emma smiled at Neal. She couldn't understand why a guy like him would have left his once happy home. Granted he said things had changed, that his father had changed but she still, had his life really screwed him up to the point where the only excitement in his life was running away from it? Neal was a complete mystery to her and she liked that about him. He was different than most guys she met but she couldn't figure out why.

"So I'm thinking, what do you say to a partnership?" Neal asked.

"A partnership, the two of us?"

"Why not, it could be fun. I'll even let you drive."

"I don't know, I just met you."

"Yeah like twelve hours ago. I swear I'm not a perv. I won't try to get in your pants or anything. It'll be strictly platonic."

"I've had partnerships before, they don't exactly go well."

"Well that's because you've never had me as a partner before. What do you say?"

Emma looked at Neal and thought about it for a moment. What was the harm? She'd used her superpower on him and could tell he wasn't lying to her. It'd be different to have someone around. She'd been alone in her small adventures for a while so it might be kind of fun.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah let's do it," said Emma.

"Okay we will," Neal said smiling back at her.