· Starting Over ; Emma & Neal

theoddswan:

_{Emma was sitting down at breakfast with Henry when she heard the knock on the door. Giving Henry a small look of confusion as he asked if they were expecting anyone, she just told him no. She stood up and walked over to the door, opening it and not recognizing the person on the other side.}

_{“Can I help you?” She kept the door shut slightly, hiding Henry out of view. She had no idea what to expect from the stranger at her door. Though she didn’t have much time to waste because she had to get Henry to school after breakfast.}

^{He’d gone over it a hundred times, yet Neal still wasn’t satisfied with his plan. With someone as unpredictable as Emma involved, there were only so many loose ends he could tie up, only so many things he could take into account or options he could consider. No—what he had to do in this situation was rely on her and hope that part of her would still recognize him even after the curse. Because getting back to the Land Without Magic would be hard enough as it was.}

^{Still, Emma’s family had been nothing but supportive of him when he had told them about his plans to return; ever since the fall through the portal, and now in absence of his father, the Enchanted Forest hadn’t felt right to him. Despite the harsh reality of the Land Without Magic, he had found his home there, and a large part of it had been with Emma. He wasn’t planning to push her, nor had he even planned to come anywhere near her until he was absolutely sure the timing would be right, but he couldn’t resist checking in on what was essentially his family. To make sure Emma and Henry were doing alright.}

^{When he finally discovered where she had taken residence, it brought a smile to his face. So she’d settled in New York, of all places. He wondered if it was a coincidence.}

^{He’d put on some proper clothes that day, worn a smile for most of the morning, but by the time he walked down the hallway where Emma’s apartment was located, he could feel the nerves kick in, and his smile faded bit by bit as he stepped in to knock on the door, before taking a respectable amount of distance again in waiting for Emma to open up.}  

^{When she finally did, the smile found its way back onto his features.}

^{Can I help you?}

^{He had practised this moment over and over, yet when the time came for him to answer, he couldn’t find words for a long moment. Finally, he cleared his throat and gave a short nod.}

^{“Uh—yeah. I don’t expect you to recognize me, ’s been a long time. Was just wondering how you were doing.”}

^{Story. Spin her a story, Neal, pique her interest.}

^{“We spent some time in foster care together. Long while back.”}

^{Did that sound plausible? He had no idea. But anything to get her attention, really.}