Revelations

"HOW LONG?" Neal exerted himself. Was it possible he had been so ruthlessly manipulated for this long?

"Since the beginning. Since I spilled coffee on you." He was flabbergasted, he couldn't believe in his own ears. Had she known about everything before even he did? Had she known about Emma and… Did she know he was a father before he ever had dreamed of it?

Looking back now, how could he not see it? How could he be so blind with everything in front of him this whole time… Agreeing so fast to move to Storybrooke with him, being so focused on figuring out who every single person actually was… Her middle of the night absences, getting to their hotel room too late for just be 'looking around' such a small town, Emma's warnings… Emma.

"It wasn't an accident" He finally voiced it. It seemed like it just wasn't real. Even if he screamed it over and over again, it appeared that he couldn't make himself believe "You've planned it all. Nothing of it was real"

Tamara still held him at gunpoint. Her face, almost unreadable to him, showing a meaning and a knowledge he had never seen before on her.

"Neal, you are a good man. I know that. So please try to understand, I had a job to do. An important one. One I think you can agree with"

And it suddenly dawned on him.

"You never loved me"

"No"

Emma would never have done that to him, she would never have lied that way. Did he deep down think Tamara was like her when they met? He cursed himself for ever having this thought. They were nothing alike. Emma was… unique.

He looked at her unconscious body still lying on the hard floor. God, she didn't deserve it. It was all his fault that this had happened to her.

"I can't let you leave, Tamara" He didn't care about Emma's gun on her hand. She wouldn't shoot him. She owed him this.

"Neal, don't make me do this."

Out of the blue, he heard the shot, soon followed by an aching feeling of burn in his chest. Neal tried to keep his balance as the bullet penetrated his skin and forced him back. He felt a wall beside him and let himself fall to the floor. It took him a moment to make sense of what had happened. Tamara had shot him.

As he looked up to her, she saw the gun being lifted again. This time, to his head. Her face, more unreadable than ever.

"I'm sorry Neal" she said casually, but there was a hint of… triumph?

He was stupefied, speechless… His head was just mere centimeters away from the muzzle. It was a clear shot. His life would be over within seconds.

"It doesn't have to end like this Tamara. You're not a murderer" He still couldn't believe in the situation. For a brief second his eyes darted to Emma "No one knows about you"

"You are right. We still have the upper hand" She cautiously put her hand on his pocket and removed his phone from it before smirking "Good luck staying alive. No one will come for you"

With a final look at him she turned on her heels and walked away from the old warehouse but not before kicking one of Emma's leg out of her way. The mask had finally broken, disdain spread across her face.

Neal waited a couple of minutes, making sure she wouldn't come back, before pushing himself next to Emma. He gently turned her body, careful with her head, and started digging her pockets. He finally found her phone and hit David's name. It beeped twice before he picked up.

"Emma, did you get him?"

"David, it's me… We are hurt, we need ambulances" Suddenly, he couldn't speak anymore, the air seemed to get out of his lungs before they should "Quick" he whispered.