Rumple allowed his heart to swell a little with happiness at the fact Neal actually worried about his safety.
“Said one-handed pirate was only able to follow us without losing his memories because he wasn’t effected by the Curse.” Rumple countered, “I assure you, most of my other enemies were either brought over with the Curse and would lose their memories if they pursued me, or are stuck in the magical lands with no way to get here - my Curse was one of the few ways of coming here. Other than the ship…or mermaids, but I made a habit of not annoying the merfolk.” He smiled at his son, hoping to reassure him by squeezing his hand as Neal took it in his. “I’m always going to be in some kind of danger. We all are. That’s life. If anyone hunts me down…maybe I deserve it. But I’d rather live my life with my family and have it cut short than live for god knows how long in misery. I’m tired of being alone, Bae. I want a life I can enjoy, not one I can cling to for the sake of it. I’ve spent too long living to save my own skin…”
For so long, Neal had longed for his father to change just the tiniest bit, for him to be a little more lenient towards the things he had in mind for the both of them, yet now that he was faced with the very change he’d been asking for, it was much bigger than he had expected. And more dangerous, too.
The plan Rumpelstiltskin had come up with was reckless, yes, but it was well thought-out at the same time. Every little detail he’d thought of—it was evidently clear that the man had actually taken the time to sit down and think about a solution to the problems that were obviously present between him and his son.
And somehow, Neal was touched by it. But no matter how happy he was with the fact that his father was willing to give up both his magic as well as his memories in order to restore the bond between father and son, he also dreaded the very same thing.
Shoving his hands deep into his pockets, Neal shifted weight from one foot to another several times over before finally posing the question that had been burning on his tongue.
"Is there any chance you might get your memories back by yourself? I mean, with help of course, but y'know—I can’t recreate your memories for you. Will you lose all those childhood memories the moment you step over the town line?”
