Neal Cassidy (
stolenwatches) wrote2014-01-10 01:50 pm
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long story |
unvarnished
[ Neal had been hopeful.
He still loved her, he knew that much, and he knew there was still a small part of her that reciprocated that. He'd done a lot to hurt her, but he wanted so badly a second chance, with both her and their son together. Even Hook had backed off, at least for the time being. It was all up to Emma.
Sitting alone in a booth at Granny's, a good half hour after noon, he was starting to admit to himself that she probably wasn't coming.
Neal sighed as he played with his cup, determined to wait a bit longer. Just in case. ]
He still loved her, he knew that much, and he knew there was still a small part of her that reciprocated that. He'd done a lot to hurt her, but he wanted so badly a second chance, with both her and their son together. Even Hook had backed off, at least for the time being. It was all up to Emma.
Sitting alone in a booth at Granny's, a good half hour after noon, he was starting to admit to himself that she probably wasn't coming.
Neal sighed as he played with his cup, determined to wait a bit longer. Just in case. ]
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He invites himself into the empty seat across from his friend]
She stand you up?
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Maybe. What're you doing here?
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She's probably just running late. I'll keep the seat warm for her.
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What's up, man? How've things been here?
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Ariel showed up, and so did John and Michael Darling. Otherwise it's been pretty quiet. I've gotten to reconnect with my father and Archie.
[as for his mother, August always had an awkward relationship with her. He figures it's better left alone]
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[ Neal smiles at that, remembering how elated they'd been to see Wendy again. ]
That's good, about your father and Archie. It's been a long time.
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Yeah. I know magic always comes at a price, but it brought our families back together, too. It's a pretty happy ending, wouldn't you say?
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Yeah, well, still working on mine. S'why I'm here.
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[ he has no doubt Emma would let him see Henry and be a dad to him, but he wants nothing more than both of them. together, as a family. ]
I kind of shot myself in the foot with what I did to her. All I'm trying to do now is make up for it.
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Give it time. She has a lot to work through... I think she likes keeping her guard up.
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Three guesses why.
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I'd say it's the same reason you and I have trust issues, too. We've all had to grow up depending only on ourselves. I love my papa but I still have trouble with it, you know?
[he smiles, a little sadly. Trying to be selfless, brave and true is hard when the whole town knows you as a selfish, cowardly liar]
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[ Neal sighs as he wraps his hands around his cup to warm them up. It's clear the topic is bringing both their moods down, so he changes it. ]
Man, this is too depressing for my second day back from hell.
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I can't believe I forgot.
She always used to hate making a big deal out of her birthday, but she didn't mind doing something small for it. What are you thinking of?
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[he frowns, thinking. He's missed so much and he wants to make up for it, somehow. That's where he's going with all this]
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[ Even as he says that, Neal has a moment of doubt. It's been what, 11 years? For all he knew, she could love surprise parties and big, fancy gatherings now. ] I think.
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[ Neverland wasn't exactly the best indicator of time passing. ]
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Not bored of Storybrooke yet? I mean, it's no New York.
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It's enough to fill another book. [his eyes sparkle excitedly at the idea of that]
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Business as usual? That's one hell of an understatement.
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I can think of one fan who'd love to read it.
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[ what's this, actual business savvy Neal Cassidy? ]
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[he pauses, noticing that a certain blonde is still not showing up] You going to sit here all day waiting for her?
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She's not coming. I don't know, maybe it was too early. Too much pressure.
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Neal perks up slightly at the reminder about his great son. ]
He's a great kid. I'll drop by Regina's place later and see if he wants to play swords with his old man. I mean, sword fight. [ he cracks a grin at that because Henry definitely got the heroics from his mom's side of the family.
as he talks, Neal searches his pockets for some change for the coffee. ] You got anything else to do today?
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I was going to help Papa in his workshop later. Other than that, I'm pretty much free.
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[ namely, Tamara's stuff... which he'd tried hard not to think about all throughout Neverland, but after walking back into his room at Granny's and seeing her stuff mixed in with his, he couldn't keep avoiding it.
but he really doesn't know if he can handle it alone. after all those years and an engagement, she shot him and left him for dead. it's not easy to forget. ]
Could use an extra hand, if you've got it.
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Of course. I've got two, as it happens.
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[ he'll get up and leave a fiver on the table. tipping had never been a thing for him before (ex-thief and all) but something told him stiffing Ruby would be a bad idea all around.
after, he leads August up to his room. once inside, it's a pretty simple living area, but there's noticeably a woman's touch around the place in the small things. ]
I haven't really done anything to the place since coming back.
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