"You're not the only one with pain," Rumple said with a heavy sigh, "you act like you're the only one suffering. Yes, I was the one who made a mistake, but that doesn't mean I don't live with that regret every single day. That I don't wish I could do something to make it stop. But I can't. I can't help you feel better, and I can't help me feel better, either." He felt pretty tired, even though he had only just woken up, but mostly it was from all the guilt he was feeling. Of course he didn't like knowing Baelfire had lived with so much pain for so long.

But he wasn't the only one suffering.

He felt his emotions almost snap when Baelfire suggested he hadn't tried. "Of course I tried! Are you not listening at all?!" He demanded, though there wasn't an angry expression on his face. Rather, he looked rather forlorn- a man at the end of his rope.

"Visions don't tell you what you want to know. They're images, at best. Flashes of one possible future. I had to make sure that future came to be. Everything I did was setting that stage. How could I possibly have known you were in Neverland over any other realm? There was no way. You're being much too cruel to imply I would have ignored you if I had known you were there. I would have come running."

He got to his feet, limping his way to the door.

"Maybe we need to take a break from this discussion," he offered after a moment, looking over his shoulder at his son, "we could take a walk. Not that I think this air is very fresh, but it might still do us some good. Perhaps you can show me around this New York of yours." He didn't want to think that he was running away from the conversation, but he was willing to put it on hold so they could both organize their thoughts a bit. Otherwise, they would never manage to see eye-to-eye. They both needed time to process everything that had happened.

"You could leave a note for the others."

---

Neal Cassidy

- neal cassidy -

“I'm not acting like it at all. I was suffering, I suffered for my whole childhood because of you. How can I say that you regret it, when I couldn't even tell that? Until you got here a couple of days ago, I thought you'd made a decision you were happy with. I don't want to try and feel better. I just want to be free from this pain, like I had been for so long in my life. So, I don't think I should bother asking." Neal said. He was suddenly feeling weak, and, he didn't know if he could handle it this time.

Neal was letting his emotions get the better of him, and, he sighed softly. "Of course I was listening, but, I find it hard to believe." Neal felt himself saying that in an angrier tone then he probably intended. But, he couldn't believe his papa was the one getting angry at him.

"One picture that was all you had. And, it didn't even include any specific details. I don't know, I just thought you could've sensed it. Well, somehow I found that hard to believe after you let me go, I never thought you would've come for me. I thought you didn't want me."

"Yeah, maybe we do." Neal said, lifting his body off of the windowsill. "It depends on where abouts in New York you go. There are one or two places that have fresher type air. I, I guess I could. If you really wanted to see it." Neal had a suspicion that his papa was trying to fade out of the conversation, but, truth be told he could use the chance to clear his head.

"A note could work, tell them we're picking up breakfast."

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Rumplestiltskin

Rumple sighed, glad that he agreed to go out for a little while. At least the time outside would help them both calm down. Perhaps they would even be able to approach this conversation with a bit more clarity. He still had no idea what his son wanted from him, but he wasn't going to be a punching bag. He had come a long way to make this work, and he would sooner stab himself with his dagger than give up on this opportunity to reconcile with his son.

But things weren't going that well- he knew he needed to come up with another method of getting Baelfire to understand him.

He waited for the note to be written before leaving the small apartment, heading out into the hall and moving slowly for the stairs. He actually sighed quite heavily as he looked down them. He looked over his shoulder, offering his son a grunt of a chuckle.

"If there's one thing I didn't miss having to deal with without magic, it's stairs," he commented, before looking back at the stairs and slowly starting down them. He had to take it a step at a time, or his foot would give out under the weight of his own body and send him tumbling down the rest of the way. He used the railing for support with one hand, the cane doing most of the work in the other. At least with that set up, he was able to travel down the stairs at a fairly decent pace.

Being crippled was something he hadn't really had to deal with much as the Dark One. His magic allowed him to walk around like nothing was wrong. But then Storybrooke happened, and he gone back to needing his cane for everything. It was strange having to switch back and forth all the time.

And to think, this limping mess was what his son preferred.

---

Neal Cassidy

- neal cassidy -

Neal knew that his papa was right about needing to cool off, just like he always used to back when-ever he felt this stuff inside of himself. Taking a walk was never something he was allowed to do much, because of his curfew at the foster homes, so normally he just took a seat on the roof or on the window sills in the homes to enjoy the fresh air. Neal wasn't sure what he wanted from his father right now, but, he had just needed to get some anger out of his system. His want to reconcile was still inside him deep down, but, Neal didn't know how easy it would be.

He might never understand why his papa had done what he'd done. But, Neal would probably try to.

Making his way to the table in the side room, Neal wrote a note for Emma and Henry to tell them that he had gone out for a walk with his papa and he'd come back with breakfast. He left the note on the counter and then went to make his way out of the apartment, towards the stairs that led downstairs. Neal smiled softly for a moment, before glancing around the building for a moment.

"Yeah, I guess it would be a bit of a struggle." Neal said. He waited for his papa to head down a couple of stairs before making his way down the stairs himself. Neal took it a bit slow, to offer some support if he needed it. Not that he'd admit that out loud at any point. He just leant against the rail, and, made his way down the stairs.

Looking at his papa, he found himself flashing back to when he was 14. Imagining that he and his papa had been together in this world after all.

This magic free man is what he'd wanted, crippled or not, it was his father. This was the man he'd missed.

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Rumplestiltskin

Rumple was glad when he managed to get to the bottom of the stairs, the man letting out a small sigh of relief. The sooner he got back to Storybrooke, the better. At least there he wouldn't have to worry about limping around anymore, as he had his magic to help him. Then again, that was a bit of a catch 22. He wanted to go back for his magic, and it was his magic that he wasn't supposed to want to have. For now, though, it hardly mattered.

He wasn't going anywhere without Baelfire.

Slowly, he moved outside the apartment complex, looking around at the busy streets of New York. "It's certainly a lot busier here than in Storybrooke," he said with a faint chuckle, "that place is a ghost town compared to this. I can't imagine how you stand all this noise all the time." He sighed heavily, looking back at his son. For him, this was probably all very normal. The noise. The chaos. The people. This was where he had lived, at least for a little while compared to the long span of his life.

It was strange to think about, that he had been where, growing up, around the same time he had been living the same day over and over in a cursed Storybrooke. He had done his best to make some kind of progress there, but it had been difficult. There were always so many complications. All he could do was wait for the savior to show up and fix things, just as planned.

It was a good thing heroes were so predictable.

"Well, where are these places capable of producing some fresh air?" He asked lightly, attempting to keep things a bit more casual, at least for the time being.

---

Neal Cassidy

- neal cassidy -

Neal watched his papa finish his descent down the stairs. He looked at him, and, smiled softly. Even if it was just for a brief moment. Neal knew that, soon his father, as well as, Emma and his son would soon have to get back to that town of Storybrooke. Neal wasn't sure whether he wanted to go there with them or stay here in New York. His son would be in that town, but, that also meant he would be with his father. It was kind of a mixed bag thing there.

All Neal knew was that he would be a part of his son's life no matter what.

Soon, Neal reached the footpath just in front of his building, and, he waited for his father. Neal smiled at some passer-bys before opening the door for some of his neighbours in the building. When his father reached where he was, Neal looked at him. "Yeah, I suppose it is." Neal said, keeping his hands in his jacket pockets. "Well, you kind of get used to it. I've been here for a while now." Neal looked around at the city in front of him. The noise and all of the people. He'd spent a good few years here in this city, and, it was the first place he'd felt settled in a long time.

Their lives had probably been different. His papa had been in that one town of Storybrooke, while he'd been bounced around most of America in an effort to find somewhere to belong or someone to want him. It had been full of mishaps, and, failed attempts that he'd just given up by the end.

But, now, in a way, by staying put, it had found him.

"Well one of them is Central Park. It's not a far walk if you wanted to check it out." Neal said, in an attempt to try and keep himself calm with his father.

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Rumplestiltskin

"That's true enough," Rumple sighed. He, however, much preferred the silence of Storybrooke. It made it much easier to just sit and think. Of course, for however quiet Storybrooke had once been, that had all changed the moment Emma Swan had ventured into town. She had managed to shake things up and break the curse, just as he thought she would.

Just as he planned she would.

ever since then, it was a new mess to sort out every single day, it seemed. There was hardly a moment when they weren't rushing into his shop to force him into helping with their chaos. It was almost funny. Even though they all knew better than to trust him, they always came to him when things got hard. He supposed that was just because he had all the power in the town. If they really needed proper help, there was no one better to turn to, risks included.

Not that he was going to complain about it. Even though he knew it was just because they needed his power, there was some strange happiness that came from being included in their antics.

He smiled faintly to himself, looking at his son. "You should come and see Storybrooke," he said, "I'm not... I don't mean you have to come back with me or anything. But... sometime, you should see it. See where Henry grew up. Where Emma lives now." Of course ,if he decided to STAY, then he wasn't going to tell him no...

When he mentioned Central Park, he nodded. "Okay," he sighed, "I love walking. Lead the way."

---

Neal Cassidy

- neal cassidy -

“Yeah it is.” Neal said. The last place he’d been in that was ‘quiet’ was Neverland, and, he didn’t want to remember that place. So, noisy worked better for him usually. It also usually made it easier to hide from things he didn’t want to face.

Or at least it was easier.

Neal usually spent his days here, either working or spending time with Tamara. When she wasn’t working. Ok, maybe their relationship wasn’t as inseperable as some others, but, it was solid. They had a good relationship, and, they were able to come to each other with their problems.

He just enjoyed being a part of a relationship again, and, around someone who really seemed to care about him for who he was.

Neal chuckled softly and shook his head “I should?” Neal asked, smiling at his father. “Oh right of course not. I might come and see it sometime. It would be nice to see where Henry calls home. I mean, he’s seen my home.” Neal just wasn’t sure whether he would stay there straight away.

“Come on, it’s this way.” Neal gestured with his head before heading in the direction of the park.

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Rumplestiltskin

Rumple smiled somewhat sheepishly, looking away from his son. He could tell from his tone that his intention's had been discovered pretty easily. But, it wasn't like he could help it. Of course he wanted Baelfire to come back to Storybrooke with them. To see where Emma and Henry lived, as well as to see if he liked the place. If he could make a life there, too. This loud, claustrophobic city... it didn't suit his son at all.

He should be living in the same town as the rest of his family, so he could learn to forgive his father and also so he could learn to be a father, himself.

"Of course," he hummed, glad Bae had at least attempted to placate him by saying he might come and visit sometime. It was a small step, but definitely in the right direction. And he was sure Henry wouldn't mind spending time with his father, so it worked out for everyone.

One of the few times his secret little plans didn't hurt everyone around him.

He followed Baelfire's lead towards the park, limping after him with his cane providing the support. He wasn't struggling to keep up or anything, though he wished they would arrive soon. The streets were crowded and he didn't like being around so many people when he didn't have magic to defend himself.

Maybe he was feeling a little exposed.

---

Neal Cassidy

- neal cassidy -

It was pretty obvious that his father had not so subtly told him to go to Storybrooke with them. Neal knew that his father wanted him to come back to this town with him, but, he wasn’t sure he could just yet. Especially if it meant leaving yet another home. This city may be big, but, it was all he’d known.

Neal wanted to be close to his family, of course up until a couple of days ago, he hadn’t had much family to be close to. Now, he wasn’t quite sure what to do.

“Yeah.” Neal said. Of course Neal wanted to see where Henry and Emma lived. It just may take a while to prepare himself for it. But, if he went it would definitely be for Henry and not his father. Neal would appreciate being able to spend time with Henry, and, he was sure Henry would appreciate it too.

His father for once had an innocent plan that involved no-one getting hurt. Too much.

Neal led the way to Central Park, keeping his father in his sights, just in case he needed the extra support. Looking around, Neal made sure to keep an eye on everyone around him, he’d been a thief long enough to sense the signs of people stealing. He knew all the tricks in the book.

Soon, Neal noticed the entrance to Central Park. “Here we are” Neal said, looking at his papa.

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Rumplestiltskin

Rumple didn't dare venture too far from Neal, just because he had no idea what he would do if he ended up getting lost. Even if he did have a phone, and understood enough about the Land Without Magic to get a taxi, that didn't mean he wanted to be off on his own without anyone there to potentially protect him should something bad happen.

He was glad when they got to the park- at least it was large and it seemed like it wasn't quite as busy as the streets around it. Probably because of all the room to walk around. He sighed softly.

"This isn't quite what I was expecting a city like this to have," he admitted, "it's much bigger than I would have thought. Do you come here a lot?" He asked, turning to look at his son again. He wanted to know everything Neal had been up to. Even if it wasn't great news. He knew, for example, that he had been a thief. Listening to Emma talk about how she had known him was proof enough of that. Still, he wanted to hear his stories. Find out how his life had been while Rumple wasn't a part of it.

Find out if it was really that bad that he had become a part of his son's life again. If it did seem like he had no place, then perhaps he would just leave and let Neal get back to what he now considered normal.

---

Neal Cassidy

- neal cassidy -

Neal looked straight ahead as he continued to walk around New York, he knew that if they got separated his papa would probably be able to get back to his apartment pretty easily, since he knew his papa was quite resourceful. And he had probably enough money to afford the cab.

The park was big, which he knew well. It gave room to walk, and, definitely gave enough time to clear his head.

“Yeah, you’re right. A lot of people wouldn’t.” Neal said, smiling softly. “Well, it has to match the ‘big city’. And yeah I do come here quite often” Neal looked at his papa. There was a lot that Neal had been through, and, this was one of the best places in the city, that he could just escape his thoughts for a while. Neal wasn’t sure his papa would want to hear about it, but, more then that he wasn’t sure he wanted to talk about it.

Neal was, on some level, glad his papa was back. He had been wanting that for a long time, even if he hadn’t admitted it out loud in a long time. And, if his papa was to leave again, Neal wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle it.

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Rumplestiltskin

"I suppose I can't argue with that logic," Rumple chuckled. A big park for a big city- it made sense. He walked along one of the paths, though his leg had started to hurt him from wandering around so long. It normally didn't bother him too much, but being on it for long spans tended to make it irritated. When he spotted a bench that wasn't already taken by lover birds or homeless people sleeping on it, he looked at Neal, motioning towards it.

"Ah, perhaps we can sit for a moment," he ventured, "my leg is starting to hurt a bit." He didn't really need to lie about it- he wasn't so proud that he tried to act like his leg wasn't a problem. It had been a long time since he'd crippled himself, and he knew he couldn't deny what he had done.

He'd made a cowardly choice, and the limp was proof of that.

Moving over to the bench, he sat himself down with a soft sigh, stretching his leg out in front of him as he set his cane to the side. He looked at Neal, wondering if he would sit with him on the bench or not. He wasn't going to demand it, of course.

"Tell me about your life here. What do you do? Who have you met? What's it been like?"

---

Neal Cassidy

- neal cassidy -

“I guess you can’t.” Neal said, with a small smile. It was a big park to match a big city. Neal slowly walked along the path, bringing back his memories of the last few years when he did this a lot after work or just when he couldn’t sleep. He kept himself close enough to his papa to have the company, but, far enough away to have the space he needed from him. When they passed a bench, Neal noticed the look from his papa, and, he looked in the direction.

“Oh, um sure I guess.” Neal said, stopping by the bench. Neal remembered it had been a while since his papa hadn’t had magic to help stop his leg hurting. He knew that his papa wouldn’t lie to him about that, the limp was one thing he remembered about him.

But, he still didn’t know how he’d hurt himself like that.

Neal stepped back as his papa sat down on the bench, but, he didn’t sit next to him just yet. So, Neal just stood in front of him, with his hands in his pockets. Maybe, he’d be able to stand sitting next to him later, but, for right now the distance between them was good and what he could handle right now.

“Well, I work as a bar-tender in a bar a couple of subway stations up. I’ve met some interesting people in this city, most of them being the bar-goers. And, I've rarely had people take the time to get to know me, so, it’s been quite lonely to be honest.”

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Rumplestiltskin

Rumple settled a bit on the bench. It was a little uncomfortable, but he couldn't complain- he needed to rest his foot for a bit or it would start to swell. He really didn't want to have to deal with non-magic methods of taking care of the old, poorly healed injury. Sometimes he wondered why he didn't just permanently heal it with his magic powers- he used a spell to allow himself to walk around without trouble while he was the Dark One, but the effects wore off when he didn't have his magic.

Maybe he just knew better. That he didn't deserve to heal it properly. He sighed to himself, looking over at Neal as he started to explain his life a little bit. It made him smile, hearing him open up even a small amount. Sure, he didn't have much to say, but he hadn't completely rebuffed the question, either.

He would take that as a small win.

"I see," he replied with a slight frown. It bothered him that his son had been lonely, though he supposed that was not the worst thing that had happened to the man while they had be separated. "So no love interests, then? Girlfriend?"

Of course he had to ask- he was the father. It was his job to pry into his son's personal life just a little bit.

---

Neal Cassidy