EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS, HAPPENS BY DESIGN. FORCES GREATER THEN US CONSPIRE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

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Neal had been back for a couple of days, and, the only person who really knew he was back was his father. Well, of course Granny and Ruby did since they were the ones that checked him back into the Bed and Breakfast. But, there were two people that Neal really wanted to see.

After getting himself dressed, Neal decided to go and try and see one or both of them. Although, he was sure that Henry was probably in school, but, he could probably still go and see Emma. If her parents were home, he was sure it wouldn’t be a problem either way.

Of course, from what he’d seen in the Underworld, Emma had temporarily become the Dark One, so, he was still a little bit nervous about what to expect when he got there. Neal knew that she wasn’t the Dark One anymore, because his papa was. But, it still made him a mix of things.

It wasn’t a long walk from the Bed and Breakfast to the apartment where Emma lived with her parents and Henry. He ignored the stares from some passers by, as he walked through the town. Instead focusing his gaze on his feet or straight ahead of him.

Soon, he saw the complex where the apartment was, and, he made his way up the stairs as quietly as he could. Neal didn’t want to have anyone really notice him right now, because then everyone would find out at once.

Reaching Emma’s door, Neal sighed softly before bouncing up and down on his feet a couple of times as he stood there with his hands in the pocket of his jacket. Neal looked around to check that no-one else was here, before he turned back to the door, and, knocked on it softly, waiting for an answer.

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Outfit TAG Emma Swan
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Emma sat on the couch going through a box of pictures of someone she used to know. He had curly brown hair, and such a contagious smile. He had captured her heart, and broken it by leaving her.
She raised the picture of him sleeping beside her, Emma couldn't help but smile at it. This was the only time he actually slept peacefully. Usually, his dreams were filled with nightmares, Emma was always there to soothe him. She knew he did not leave her willingly, he left her because she had a job to fulfill.

So when Emma first saw him back in New York, imagine the shock.
She ruffled through the box once more, placing the picture next to her on the couch. They were all she had of him. Well, that and Henry. Her boy looked so much like his father, in more ways than she knew.
All of her memories kept him near, which brought her to his last wish. Go find Tallahasse, even if it's without me.

Emma bit her lip, she did.. find Tallahassee. But her Tallahassee was in Storybrooke. With Killian and Henry.
She took out another picture, touching it with a gentle brush of her fingertip. There was no doubt about it, she still loved him. But with Killian, it was easier to forget the pain.

A knock on the door made her come back to the real world, and she got up. Once she reached the door, she glanced at the box with a sad smile.
Picture still in her hand, she opened the door.

Emma inhaled as if she was surprised by who she saw.
"...Neal?"

It was like her entire world was once again crashing down on her, just;  seeing him there, in her doorstep. Her heart constricted painfully as she seeing him brought those feelings back that she pushed away so many times.

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Neal Cassidy

EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS, HAPPENS BY DESIGN. FORCES GREATER THEN US CONSPIRE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

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Seeing Emma come to the door, Neal couldn't help, but, smile at her. He'd missed seeing it alot, There wasn't alot that made him happy at first sight, but, one of them had always been Emma.

Neal watched that look on her face, and, was expecting it too be honest. It wasn't everyday that you have someone come back from the dead, well, maybe somewhere besides Storybrooke.

Keeping his hands in his pockets, Neal smiled softly at Emma. There was alot he wanted to say, but, he was sure his nerves were obvious on some level. Neal was worried about a couple of things, one being how she would handle him being back. The other is the former Dark One thing, Neal was worried part of it was still in her.

"Hey Emma. Can I, um..." Neal paused and looked around. "Can I come in?"

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TAG Emma Swan

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Emma opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out, she just looked at him with a rather shocked expression. The picture she was holding slipped out of her hand.
Had she wished for him to come back?
Many times.
Did she believe it would actually happen?
No.
"H- how?" She uttered, unable to smile back at him because she was so distraught.
Neal was.. back? How was that even possible? Did something happen in Storybrooke while she was in the Underworld? Had someone brought him back?
"Y- you were dead?" She tried to speak once more, but found herself only speaking nonsense. Clearly Neal was alive.

She stepped aside when Neal asked her if he could come in. Her body moved automatically. It was just so mind blowing seeing him again. Not that it was a bad thing..
Emma bit her lip, before leaning in to pull Neal into a hug. She tried her best not to burst into tears right at that moment, she lost so many people already, and now suddenly one of them was.. once again.. back?

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Neal Cassidy

EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS, HAPPENS BY DESIGN. FORCES GREATER THEN US CONSPIRE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

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Looking at Emma, he lowered his head slightly as he noticed that look on her face. Neal watched the picture fall to the ground, wondering what that picture was.

“I’m honestly not quite sure.” Neal said, lowering his smile a bit.

He wasn’t quite sure how things had happened, but, it had something to do with what his father and the rest of them had done while they were there. The portal had been changed, and, he’d gotten out of there.

“Yeah, I was” Neal looked at her, and, just kept his hands in his jacket pockets.

Neal made his way inside her apartment as Emma stepped aside. He leant down to pick up the picture that Emma dropped, before standing up again.

A small smile grew on his face, as Emma hugged him, enjoying the feeling. Neal kept the photo in his hand, but, hugged Emma back as gently as he could.

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TAG Emma Swan

^{made by capt. meows}

Emma started recalling the events at the Underworld. What had made Neal come back? Was this one of Gold's tricks? Did he secretly bring Neal back to Storybrooke, too?
And then it dawned on her.
Their escape.
Something had gone wrong with their escape. The portal that led them back to Storybrooke.. was it still open?
".. I.. I think I know how." She stammered, looking at Neal with a rather shocked expression on her face. "The door- to the Underworld. It didn't close."

Emma closed her eyes and inhaled Neal's scent. He still smelled like he used to, that musky scent that she had called home.
The picture contained Neal playing with Henry in Storybrooke. It was one of her favorites because; at that point her life looked somewhat okay.
She sighed heavily. "I missed you.." She murmured, before pulling back while furiously blinking back the tears that were threatening to tip over.

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Neal Cassidy

EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS, HAPPENS BY DESIGN. FORCES GREATER THEN US CONSPIRE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

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The last thing Neal remembered in the Underworld was being watched by Hades, before he noticed an opening. Neal remembered not a lot after that.

All he remembered was that he had watched everyone he’d ever cared about or loved exit the Underworld, and, he had wished to go with them.

“You do?” Neal asked, raising his eyebrows slightly. “The door to the Underworld was opening, and, that’s how I got out.”

Neal smiled softly as he took in Emma’s scent, she still smelled the same as she usually did. The familiar scent was home.

Keeping a grip of the picture, Neal felt his gaze going to it. It was a picture of him and Henry. He loved that boy, and, he was the one thing that had made his life seemed like it would actually go ok for once.

“I missed you too.” Neal said, sighing softly as he smiled at Emma when she pulled away. Having the same kind of reaction that Emma was, when it came to his emotions, although he was also a tad nervous at the same time.

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TAG Emma Swan
^{made by capt. meows}

She nodded when Neal questioned if she actually did. Yeah, it was kind of obvious. She didn't notice it at first, since she was too busy with Killian. But the way out of the Underworld was harder than they thought, and Rumple managed to break the rules to get them out. To get everyone out.
"Did you talk to him?" She asked, she wasn't sure if Neal actually knew what had been going on in Storybrooke after he..
Emma couldn't finish that thought. She didn't want to think back to that moment.
"I mean.. do you know what happened..? When you were.. gone?" Dead. The correct term was dead. But she wanted to avoid that, since Neal clearly wasn't that anymore.

Emma noticed the gaze on the picture, and she looked away. Man, this was one awkward reunion. She was looking at the box with pictures that she had left of him, and now he was back, just out of nowhere.

She closed the door behind him, and then turned to look at him with an insecure smile. She didn't really know what to say to him right now, so much had happened; and she hoped he didn't judge her for dating Killian now. She knew there had been tension between the two in Neverland, but they managed to solve that on their own. Now, things were very different, since Killian now owned half of her heart.

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Neal Cassidy

EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS, HAPPENS BY DESIGN. FORCES GREATER THEN US CONSPIRE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

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Neal stood there with Emma. He had been forced to focus on Hades rather then what the people he really cared about were doing, so, he hadn’t noticed what happened to the door of the Underworld at first.

“You mean my father? Yeah, I, I have” Neal said, running his hand through his hair nervously as he looked at Emma.

“Actually yeah I do. I didn’t want to know, but, it was part of my stay there. I was able to still see the ones I cared about living their lives.” Gone was a good term, because obviously the actual term was irrelevant now.

Neal gripped the picture tightly, and, he looked at it. This wasn’t exactly how he planned to be with his family here in Storybrooke, but, he would take what he could get.

He returned Emma’s small smile, as they just stood there and looked at each other. Neal knew that she was with Hook, Neal didn’t judge that, because he’d said all he wanted was her to be happy. Neal knew there was going to be tension between him and Hook whether he was with Emma or not, so, as long as Hook treated both Emma and his son good then he didn’t really care.

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TAG Emma Swan
^{made by capt. meows}

Emma nodded when he asked if she was referring to his father. She believed that Neal wouldn't have acted this grim if he hadn't talked with his father.
".. Are you okay?" She knew what Rumple had done, he was back to his old self. Not to mention that he was once again the Dark One.

She sighed heavily when Neal said that he knew what had been going on while he was dead.
"So you know." Her tone was different, heavier. Emma figured that's why he was nervous, because she had been the Dark One. That she made awful decisions and chose isolation instead of her family.
Though, living their lives wasn't really how she liked calling it.
It was more like.. dealing with abnormalities. Her entire life was abnormal.

Emma looked at the picture that he was holding, she noticed the way he was tense like something bad was about to happen. Of course, she had no idea what Neal was really thinking.
"I'm not going to hurt you.. it's gone. I'm okay."
No, she wasn't okay. Killian was upset with her, and he had every right to be like that.
She simply didn't want to lose Killian. She had already lost Graham, and Neal. She didn't want to go over all the steps of heartbreak once again.
But it was selfish. She knew Killian hated what he had become, and she hoped that.. only time would tell.

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Neal Cassidy

EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS, HAPPENS BY DESIGN. FORCES GREATER THEN US CONSPIRE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

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Neal already knew that answer, and, yes he’d already seen the man. He was the first person who he’d visited when he came back. And he was unsure what to do right now.

“I, I honestly don’t know.” Neal admitted. His papa had given him the dagger, but, it didn’t change much. He was still once again the Dark One.

Keeping his gaze to the ground, Neal sighed softly. He knew everything that had gone on while he was in the Underworld.

“Yeah, I know.” Neal said. He’d known all about what Emma had done as the Dark One, and, about how she’d hurt their son. And also isolated herself, rather then being with her family.

Their lives had been lived, while Neal was stuck in the Underworld. But, what he saw hadn’t been what he’d expected.

While he looked at the picture, Neal tensed himself up. He was nervous about seeing him again, because that kid was the best thing that ever happened to him.

“Are you really? Because I’ve heard that before, that I wouldn't be hurt.” Neal admitted.

His papa had told him time and time again that he wasn’t going to hurt him, or choose anything over him. But, he had.

Emma had become just as selfish as his father had been, and, he didn’t want to think about that.

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TAG Emma Swan
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That was an answer Emma sort of expected. Gold had made lots of bad decisions, it was obvious that his son would be upset about it.
"You want to talk about it?" She figured he probably didn't want to, these were very emotional subjects because of the past Neal had.
Emma didn't know that Neal had Gold's dagger, she would find out when Gold confronted her later. But, the decision to give his son the dagger had been quite surprising. The Dark One usually wanted power over anything, even if that meant his son. Perhaps Gold really had changed.

Emma winced when Neal confirmed her gutted feeling. So he really did know. And then his words kinda hurt her feelings, so she narrowed her eyes at Neal.
"You honestly think I'm like Gold? I'm sorry I hurt Henry, but I had no other choice. I won't hurt my family." She had raised her voice on that, getting defensive.

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Neal Cassidy

EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS, HAPPENS BY DESIGN. FORCES GREATER THEN US CONSPIRE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

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At Emma’s question Neal shook his head “No, I, I really don’t” Talking about it would only open up old wounds that his father had caused in the past.

The fact that his papa had actually given him his dagger had surprised him though. Last time the decision had to be made, his papa had wanted power over anything else. Causing him to change the dagger over his own son. Maybe he had changed a bit after all.

Neal couldn’t hide his feelings about Emma’s actions as the Dark One. The truth was, he didn’t feel that way, it had just brought up emotions and back to his 14 year old self.

“I trusted you to protect our son, not hurt him the way you did. You know, my father made that promise once. I know you’re not like him, but, what you did as the Dark One came close.” Neal looked at Emma, before looking down at the ground.

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TAG Emma Swan
^{made by capt. meows}

"Alright.." She mumbled, feeling a little rejected. This just made it clear to her that they had grown apart from each other. Neal had a whole other life now, same thing with Emma. She had Killian now, but it was still difficult seeing Neal again. It brought back those feelings she pushed back so long ago.

Emma balled her fists when Neal was pretty much attacking her for what she had done. Yes, she wasn't an angel, she made mistakes, but isn't that what makes you human?
"I'm not perfect, Neal. I make mistakes, maybe I'm not the savior everyone thinks I am." She said, crossing her arms defensively.
"Are you being real right now? All the killing that your father has done, all the deals; all the pain he has spread. And me hurting Henry comes close to all that anguish? I was trying to find a way to fix what I had done, to stop Killian."
She noticed Neal was avoiding her gaze, and she shook her head at him. How could he compare her to Gold? She didn't understand, all she did was trying to protect her family; even if her choices were not completely pure.

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Neal Cassidy

EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS, HAPPENS BY DESIGN. FORCES GREATER THEN US CONSPIRE TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

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“It’s nothing personal. I just don’t want to face it right now” Neal said. The two of them were drifting slightly apart, but, Emma was the one person he would talk about it with if he had to. The connection was stronger with her then most people in this town.

“I know you make mistakes everyone does.” Neal looked at Emma, not meaning to insult her.

“I just, I don’t know. I’m sorry, it’s just seeing all of it. What you did and what my father did, there’s just some old wounds there. And I just don’t know what to do” Neal leant his hands on the table, as he walked away from Emma.

There was a lot inside of him, and, he just felt it coming to the surface. “I’m sorry Emma, it’s not even you.” Neal felt his walls starting to break down, hoping that Emma wouldn’t judge him for it.

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TAG Emma Swan
^{made by capt. meows}