It was warm in the sun outside of the DOA building and Emma was starting to get a little uncomfortable. The heavy sweater and red jacket that had been so perfect for Storybrooke’s chilly weather were definitely not doing her any favors here in Vallo. Not that she was in any hurry to take the jacket off. It helped her feel less vulnerable, like armor. And she needed all the armor she could get right now.
Sighing, she gathered her long blond hair up in her hand and pulled it away from her neck. A slight breeze blew past and brought her a small moment of relief.
With one hand still holding her hair, Emma used the other to scroll through the network on her new phone. Re-reading her conversation with Neal and just trying to process it all. He was here, Henry was here. Regina was here. Henry had been world jumping and was now a full blown teenager. A fresh wave of emotion washed over her at that. Walking away from Storybrooke and her family had been one of the most difficult things Emma had ever done, but at least she had Henry. Now to know that she’d missed even more time with him…well, that wound likely wouldn’t heal for a while.
And then there was the Neal of it all.
Emma pressed her lips together and stuck the phone back in her pocket. A glance down the road and she spotted the man in question heading toward her. She let her hair fall back down again and gave him a small wave before she buried both hands inside her jacket pockets.
Well, here Neal was - going to meet Emma. His first love, probably his only love - what he had with Tamara was brittle and cracked, and her slamming a bullet into him really didn’t leave a favorable opinion of their relationship, or how she duped him. Maybe he was just lonely, hoping he could finally find someone who wanted to be with him and they’d be together without bullshit destiny, prophecies, or curse-breaking duties - that hadn’t been the case, though.
Truth was, he probably would always carry a torch for Emma. How could he not? That silver swan keychain, the one he’d stolen for her during one of their Bonnie and Clyde crime sprees, had literally become a totem of their love - it had survived years of wear and tear, falling through portals, and hopping realms only to remain as strong as ever. Plus, she was the mother of his kid and the idea of being something of a family duct-taped together was giving him a spark of hope.
He wasn’t dead here. That meant a lot.
But that was also a conversation he’d have with her when she was a little more used to Vallo - it sounded like the last thing she remembered was saying goodbye at the town line, after his father did the one noble thing of his long life and sacrificed himself to stop Pan. His sacrifice hadn’t been enough to prevent the curse from blanketing the town though, and they were ripped apart. Again. However, now they were reunited and he planned to take things one day at a time. Little hard to do with a crazed Maleficent on the loose but they’d get through that too.
“Em, hey,” he greeted, sweeping her up into a hug. Maybe she needed one - he definitely did. “It’s - so good to see you. Did they give you an apartment assignment or anything like that?” He just needed to figure out where to start on this adventure.
Emma returned the hug without hesitation, their recent goodbye still ringing in her ears.
“This isn’t over. I’ll see both of you again.”
She hadn’t been sure that she’d believed him when he’d said it, but against all odds- here they were. She was still having trouble wrapping her head around it. “Hi, Neal.” She pulled away from the hug first, not because she wanted to, but just because she was Emma. Her emotions were already all over the place after having to say goodbye to Storybrooke and her family, then to turn around and find herself here. It was a lot, and she needed her walls up until she could get her bearings.
“They did, yeah, but I’m not worried about that right now.” The only home she cared about was the one her kid was at. “I’m just kind of anxious to see Henry. So maybe we could head towards Regina’s? I’m sure she’ll love seeing me turn up on her doorstep.”
Neal pulled back when Emma did, not wanting to crowd her or linger awkwardly - she probably needed some time because all of this was a lot, and finding one’s footing in an unfamiliar new universe wasn’t an overnight thing. Maybe they were both used to hopping realms (to think that his father had to manipulate a Queen into casting the Dark Curse just to find the son he abandoned - now, world traveling seemed a lot easier, something that could happen in a blip) but that didn’t mean it got any less odd.
“She’s been distracted about Maleficent anyway,” he said, heading in the direction of the waypoint that would take them to the mayoral manor. That familiar white house with its familiar white columns - Emma would recognize it right away, at least. “I’ve been having to work overtime to convince her not to fight on her own.” No, because of the hostage situation it was a delicate situation - Neal wanted to take care of it too (him and everyone else) but they had to be smart about it.
In the city, it didn’t at all feel like such gloom and doom was on the horizon - it was hot, the air aromatic and the tree leaves green and full. He glanced over at Emma - it didn’t seem fair to have her stay in an apartment while the rest of them all lived together, not if she didn’t want to be in Morningside. “I’m sure there’s an extra room too? If that wouldn’t be weird.”
Matching her stride with his, Emma fell into step beside Neal. An expression that was caught somewhere between a smile and a grimace on her face because of course Regina wanted to try and take on Maleficent one on one. She briefly wondered if maybe Regina had history with her. Not this one, of course, but the one from their world. She wouldn’t be surprised, honestly. “Sounds like Regina.”
She gazed around the city as they walked, trying to take in landmarks and cement them in her mind. If what she was told was the truth, then none of them were leaving here any time soon, and she figured she ought to be able to get around. Her brain seemed to error out and freeze at his next words though. She turned and looked at him. Would it be too weird? She was getting pretty used to weird after all. But living in the same house with the Evil Queen and her ex-boyfried definitely seemed up there.
On the other hand, they were the only people she knew here, and staying at the apartments alone seemed extremely isolated. “Oh it would definitely be weird, but yeah, maybe. If Regina and Henry are okay with it.”
Neal chuckled a little, a gravelly sound. Yeah, no doubt about it - weird didn’t even begin to cover the whole gamut of how that situation would be, but. They were also family, all of them, and he didn’t feel right about leaving Emma to stay in the apartment she’d been assigned - if she wanted to, sure, that was a whole other thing. Ultimately, it was her decision. But given the fact that they’d both missed ‘the teen years’ when it came to their kid, he didn’t blame her one bit if she preferred to suck up the ‘what the fuck’-ery and live under the same roof as him and Henry’s other mom.
“We’ll see what they think,” he said. And, hands casually fidgeting in the pockets of his jeans, asked, “...so the last thing you remember was the second curse, at the town line? I’m from a point in time that’s a little further ahead.”
Then they all got flung back to Storybrooke anyway, thanks to Snow and Charming doing some dumbass heart-splitting thing. And he’d been sharing a mind and body with his father, who absorbed him (talk about weird) in a last-ditch effort to save his ever-dwindling life.
Emma nodded then stopped in her tracks as he continued. The DOA contact she’d spoken to had mentioned that people were pulled here from various points in time but somehow it never occurred to her that Neal might be from in her future. She had a million questions. “How far ahead,” she asked, reaching her hand out and resting it on his arm to stop him. “Is everyone okay? Are you all still in the Enchanted Forest?”
Well, that was a question. Neal stopped when Emma asked him to, without using words - just the touch was enough. They were in front of one of the million coffee shops in the city; he was pretty sure this one happened to be the pixie place, called The Friendly Pixie even if the resident barista was anything but. He could honestly go for a jolt of the caffeinated bean water right now but everything felt so tense, what with Maleficent - a heavy thunderstorm brewing and just hanging in the air, suffocating - that moving along with any semblance of routine and normal life seemed...wrong.
“Not that far ahead,” he replied, which was true - he’d died not long after the third curse was cast, and while he remembered being in the afterlife he didn’t want to try to parse out concepts like space and time when it came to that. “We get back to Storybrooke. Your mom and dad - they used the same Dark Curse. Split their heart to make it happen, but they’re okay. You and Henry come back to Storybrooke too - and you get your memories back. There’s a potion I sent along with Hook, that lets you remember. He brings it to you in New York.” Traded his ship for a magic bean to use to travel realms, then probably expected a blowjob for his efforts like the sleaze he was.
She did her best to process everything he was telling her. Her parents cast the dark curse. Her heart squeezed painfully in her chest as she thought about it. And then there was Neal and Hook apparently working together to find her and bring back her memories.
“What happened?” She couldn’t let herself believe that they’d cast a curse and done all of that just to see her again. There had to be something bigger at play.
“Zelena,” Neal answered right away. “Or, uh - the Wicked Witch. She has an ax to grind with Regina, who as it turns out is her sister - so naturally that affects everyone.” Because no one knew how to handle their family drama without making it a whole big production and dragging the whole world into it. He also thought it was irritating how Snow and Charming basically told him to fuck off, to leave Emma and Henry alone in New York living their fake life, and yet all of a sudden decided that the best way to fix the Zelena situation was to cast a curse. And that they needed to get their daughter to the same place as them after all, come hell or high water.
Maybe if they had all worked together to find a better solution initially, he wouldn’t have been desperate enough to find a way to open the Dark One’s vault and damn his entire existence. But no, he wasn’t bitter about that or anything. Of course not.
“It’s - I know it’s a lot of info and there’s not much we can do about it here. And, yeah, there’s more to everything but maybe I can help you find your footing in this place before going into that.” He didn’t want to lie to Emma - he’d already fucked things up with her by doing that, and repeating the same mistakes wasn’t something he’d be willing to do.
Emma had to fight the urge to start pacing right there on the sidewalk as she worked through all of this new information. She was on edge and agitated, but Neal’s calm demeanor helped her keep herself in check. “Right. You’re right.” She looked at him and shoved her hands back in her pockets again. “Sorry. I think I’m literally developing a savior complex from all of this.”
She inhaled deeply and caught the scent of coffee and pastries coming from the shop they were outside of. She noticed it for the first time. The Friendly Pixie. Of course. “Vallo first, crazy Storybrooke drama second.” She gave him a weak smile. “I’m good now.”
“I guess it’s understandable - the savior complex, I mean,” Neal returned the smile, though there was a reassuring warmth to his. Emma had been through a hell of a lot and she’d done her fair share of working to put other people first - to solve their problems. Now, she didn’t have to do that - because there were plenty of denizens willing to step in when things got hairy. It didn’t fall solely on her shoulders, and that was one of the best things about Vallo for some of these other hero-types, he imagined. Fuck prophecies, fuck destiny, fuck all of that - he was over it, and planned to encourage her to do whatever she felt like doing here.
He nodded toward the entrance of the coffee shop - maybe being insulted by a pixie would be a good intro to this strange new world. “You want a cup of something to nurse on the way to the house? I’ll buy.” Things fell under the umbrella of dire, sure, but you know what - sometimes you just had to stop and smell the roasted beans.
Emma looked from Neal’s smile, to the coffee shop, and back again. Maleficent wasn’t attacking at the moment, Henry was safe and waiting for her at Regina’s...maybe it was okay for her to stop, take a breath, and order a coffee. She exhaled and nodded. “Yeah, I think I’d like that.”
Before they went inside, she reached over and touched his arm one more time. “I just wanted to say thanks. I know you and I are complicated at best, but I just...I really appreciate this.”
Complicated at best, yeah, that was true. And it got even more complicated in those last days leading up to his death - after that, maybe not. He remembered being at peace with his death, confident that he’d watch over his loved ones as they moved on and Henry would still have Emma as a parent; he wouldn’t have to grow up the way they did, but now? Honestly, he was pissed off about having to die - not at her (it wasn’t her fault), just the situation.
That was why he was going to those Death Club meetings though. To talk and listen and commiserate with others in the same boat - it helped.
“Yeah, of course - anytime,” he promised, taking her hand and giving it a brief squeeze. “It’s bizarre here, but whatever - I’m glad to see you around and we’ll make the best of it.”
With coffee. His was iced, ordered to-go, with room for cream and pumps of vanilla because give him all the sugar, thanks.
The heat also prompted Emma to order an iced coffee. Mocha cinnamon. She had finally abandoned her jacket and carried it folded over her arm. Her sweater sleeves had been pushed up to her elbows. It helped a little. The cold coffee in her hand helped more, and Emma took a long swig through her straw. “So what,” she asked after having swallowed a mouthful of coffee, “Do I need to know about this place that wasn’t in the welcome brochure?”
Neal paid for their coffees and then they were off - back on a mission, back toward the waypoint. It wouldn’t be much longer of a walk - and introducing Emma to the waypoints and how they worked was a decent way to ease in as well. “There are all sorts of people here - some you may even have heard of? I know Henry recognizes some names - from comics or other books and stuff,” he said. “And - things go wrong a lot, like I mentioned. It seems like there’s always some kind of monthly problem to handle. Or a monster to send back into its hidey hole. Weird quirks too - raining candy, people turning into puppets when they get mad, other inexplicable things.”
It sounded ridiculous but you just had to see for yourself sometimes. There was no explaining a shower storm of Skittles, there just wasn’t.
Emma turned and gave Neal a skeptically raised eyebrow as he uttered the phrase raining candy. “You’re messing with me, aren’t you?”
“Nope,” Neal laughed, slurping at his iced coffee - the one bright spot in a whole canvas of darkness. Well, that and Emma showing up - he was beyond glad to see her. “You’ll see what I mean. Just give it, oh, a couple of weeks.”
Surely something was set to happen - it was like the world would cave in on itself if this or that wasn’t going wrong. So, right - he was fairly confident in his assessment that Emma would have firsthand experience with the Oddness and it wasn’t going to take fairly long. “Here’s the waypoint,” he added, stepping up in front of the large, glowing crystal - like a subway stop, except aboveground and you didn’t need to board a train that smelled of urine and pungent clouds. “It’ll take us to the house.”
Then, well, they’d see what happened - you could only go day-by-day here anyway. Anything else, and it sort of hurt the brain.
He had a great laugh and Emma couldn’t help but smile along. Damn him. “Yeah, well, I’m not going to hold my breath.”
Her smile faded slightly as she eyed the waypoint. In her experience, large glowing objects rarely equated with anything good. But apparently they were a way of life here. She looked to Neal. “I just touch it and….” she made a vague wooshing gesture with her hand.
The swishing of magic fingers was appropriate for the waypoint, it really was. “Basically, yeah - you state where you want to go, like, which waypoint you want to come out of and it’ll bring you there,” Neal explained. It was kind of like teleporting - okay, so maybe it was actually teleporting. Definitely magical in nature, and a lot more handy than calling an Uber. He was also pretty sure the DOA had a waypoint directory somewhere - if Emma didn’t get one, he’d definitely find one for her.
But he’d demonstrate first, putting his hand on the crystal and naming the destination waypoint, making sure Emma was also touching the big crystal thing - then they were off, pulled right through. Truly a whoosh after all.